


Virtual Reality Experience

by MercedesCorvette



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, French Kissing, Makeouts, Reverse Harem, Romance, Slow Burn, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-06-01 18:03:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15148793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercedesCorvette/pseuds/MercedesCorvette
Summary: When a video game begins to feel real...very real. How does its characters hold up?You quickly discover that you're not just a player. And they're certainly not mere characters in a video game...Edit: Tags, characters, and description are updated as the story progresses.





	1. Victory or Defeat?

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic ever! Woo! This is just a test chapter at the moment to see how I did and to get some feedback on how it sounds so far. Please let me know if you find any typos and let me know what you think or what I should change/improve. And let me know if you want more! Thank you! Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first fanfic ever! Woo! This is just a test chapter at the moment to see how I did and to get some feedback on how it sounds so far. Please let me know if you find any typos and let me know what you think or what I should change/improve. And let me know if you want more! Thank you! Enjoy!
> 
> (Y/N) = Your Name

 

** **DEFEAT** **

Flashed across your television screen, while illuminating your studio apartment with its dark shades of red. 

* _Crap._ * You thought. * _We had that..._ *

The enemy team stands proudly with their victory and the "Play of the Game" clip rolls with its classic theme. An all-too-familiar McCree highlight intro with your name on it brings a big grin to your face.

"YES!" You exclaim, while pumping your fist downwards.

You watch the clip play with a well timed 'Deadeye' capturing 4 enemies in its sights. Definitely one of your more thought out ones.

You quickly leave the game before the next match can start. You return to the game's menu to see your favorite character in all his glory.

"We played pretty well McCree," you say to the TV screen in front of you, "but I'm afraid it wasn't enough in that last match. We'll kick butt again next weekend."

You glance at your phone to check the time.

** **12:34 am** **

* _Oh crap! Is that really the time?_ *

It still felt like your friends had just hopped off for the night, when it had really been quite a few hours ago. The whole weekend had that same effect, and now work was becoming a reality a few hours from now. The last thing that you wanted to be reminded of at 12:30 in the morning.

You grab your controller to put the console in rest mode and then make your way to bed. Calculating it out in your head, you should have a solid six hours to sleep if you knock out now. Although, it began to seem closer to five hours after you noticed the ache in yours eyes just from blinking away from a screen.

You strip to your boyshorts, throw on a spaghetti strap shirt to sleep in and crawl into bed. Turning off the light, you quickly feel the burn in your eyes as they try to close. Hearing the 'purr' of your console in the living room along with the sounds of the occasional traffic nearby, you slowly begin to drift off. Trying to block the quickly approaching work from your mind, with instead the moments you just played through with others in a virtual world.

***

** **3:46 am** **

A bright, white light starts to fill your apartment. You roll over, still half asleep, to see your TV flickering white and your console turned on. Before your brain can comprehend what's going on, it stops as suddenly as it began. You think nothing of it, and quickly fall back asleep.

***

A comforting warmth slowly wakes you from your deep slumber. Your thighs and chest feel a constant warmth against them. You slowly begin to open your eyes to a blinding light. You squint and frown in discomfort, and notice the sun looking down at you.

* _What the...?_ *

You force your eyes to open wider to see a whole sky above you. Beautiful and blue with a few clouds here and there.

Your brain finally starts to wake up and realize what's going on.

* _I'm outside,...how...?_ *

Your body attempts to make its first movements of the morning, as you try to roll over. You quickly feel a subtle pain throughout your back when you try to move. Sitting up, you notice that you were laying on light colored pavement.

* _How...How did I get here? Where am I?_ * You think to yourself in a slight panic.

Looking around, you see that you're surrounded by large, tall buildings built into some sort of cliff side. You hear the crashing of waves off in the distance behind you. You turn around to see a cliff that leads to the ocean. Your anxiety that had been building up this whole time, slowly disperses. You come to realize that there's a familiarity to this location.

You slowly bend your legs to help your body to stand. You groan to your body letting out small aches and pains as you pick yourself off the ground. Small, sharp pains fill your backside from where you laid. Standing, you can now see more of your surroundings. You notice some people walking around from building to building, but it seems that no one has noticed you yet. Glancing up, you notice a familiar flag with the iconic Overwatch logo waving in the wind.

* _Watchpoint Gibraltar._ * You thought.

Watchpoint Gibraltar. It looked and felt a bit different from the one you were used to, but recognizable all the same. This one felt more like an actual base instead of a payload map from a video game. It also had real people walking around. Nobody you knew or recognized though, but they all seemed to be busy in one way or another. Many of them seem to wearing a type of uniform with an Overwatch logo on the shoulders.

* _How on Earth did I get here?_ * You thought. * _There's no way this can be real, right?_ *

Everything felt and looked very real, throwing out your thoughts of this being a type of dream. Perhaps a prank? Although, none of the friends you knew would do something like this, or this extreme.

* _So how could this be? And who are all these people?_ *

Interrupting your thoughts, was a familiar AI speaking over an intercom system.

"The MV-261 Orca traveling to Dorado, departs in 15 minutes."

* _Athena?_ *

She's the only "character" you've recognized since waking up here.

You notice that a few people begin to quicken their pace while others seem to have ignored Athena's announcement completely. You stand there and watch them go about their business. Nobody has seemed to notice you, since you were a small distance away and kinda off to the side.

As you were observing, a cool breeze came in behind you from the ocean. Giving you slight chills over your body, reminding you of how little you had on. 

* _Oh crap!_ *

You glance down at what you're wearing and remember that it's not the most suitable for a public location like this. Not only that, but you stick out with everyone else wearing types of uniforms. 

Your bright blue boyshorts and black spaghetti strap didn't cover much or leave much to the imagination. And being bra less with a cold breeze blowing through didn't help either.

You separate your hair to lay on both sides of your face in hopes to cover up your nipples that were trying to poke through. Tugging downwards on your shirt only slightly hid the front of your underwear, but nothing could really be done about the back. And pulling it down only added more cleavage to the mix.

* _This is bad._ * You thought, while trying to keep everything covered. * _I need to get out of here!_ *

You slowly backed up and tried to walk around the backside of one of the buildings. 

* _Where should I go?_ * You wondered. * _I'm close to the attacking spawn, maybe I should go in there? That should be Winston's lab, right?_ *

Your mind was running with questions and on how you were going to get out of here.

You continued to sneak around the back until you met the wall of the cliff side. You knew in the game there was a side entrance here, and thankfully it wasn't much different in its real world version.

You quietly snuck up the small tunnel leading into the main lab until you heard voices. You froze, and peered inside. You didn't see anyone.

* _Maybe they're up top? Maybe they can help me?_ *

You listened for a moment to see if you could recognize anyone's voice. Sadly, they weren't talking loud enough to tell.

You quickly sneak across the lab to the stair case on the other side. Listening again, you hear a deep chuckle as you slowly go up the stairs. You freeze again at the top of the stair case. You look in to see a familiar gorilla working on something while laughing.

"Lena," he says between chuckles, "that could never happen."

* _Lena...? Oh, Tracer! It's Winston and Tracer! Thank goodness!_ *

"Oh come on Winston, that would be so much fun!" Lena giggles.

Relieved, you finally start walking towards the entrance normally while building up the courage to speak. Still trying to keep things covered on your body, you stop at the entrance to see the two of them working on things. Winston appears to be tinkering on one of his bubble shields, while Lena was running a program on one of the many screens in the room. Before you can speak, Lena notices you. She smiles at first but quickly her mouth drops after noticing who you are.

"(Y/N)!" She exclaimed.

Winston turns towards you and has a similar reaction. "(Y/N)?"

"You guys know who I am?" You speak quietly.

"Of course we do, Love!" Lena quickly blinks over to hug you. "Why wouldn't we?"

Winston nods and looks at you happy but concerned.

Your eyes widened when Lena embraces you.

* _She sounds and looks just like Tracer! And did she just blink?!_ * You think to yourself shocked.

Lena pulls away and holds your shoulders at arms length.

"Its not like we haven't spent hours training together or anything!" Lena says sarcastically while giggling. 

"Hours training together....?" You repeat quietly to yourself.

Winston gets up and walks closer to the two of you.

"Are you alright, (Y/N)?" He asks with a concerned tone.

Before you can answer, Lena looks you over and quickly hugs you again.

"Oh no! Where are your clothes?!" She exclaims. 

Lena pulls away again and quickly glances around the room for something to cover you.

"Hold that thought." She says before blinking downstairs.

You can hear her rummaging around through things at a quick pace before blinking back in front of you holding what looks like a folded flag.

"I'm afraid this is all I could think of that could work at the moment."

You pick up the flag and let it unfold in front of you. It's a lot bigger then it looked at first and has a large Overwatch logo embroidered on it. You turn the flag sideways and wrap it around you. Lena helps pull your bed hair out so that it lays over the flag.

"I suppose that will have to do then. Unless you would rather wear one of Winston's suits instead?" She giggles.

"Thank you so much." You smile softly.

"So what are you doing here?" Winston finally asks. "We've never gotten to meet in person. How did you get here?"

"I...I don't know..." You say looking down.

You were still having trouble processing everything yourself. And you still couldn't believe that you were standing in front of a real time traveler and a talking gorilla. Your legs felt weak. This was all starting to feel very real and believable. Your brain felt like it may explode with all its questions and fears. An awkward silence grew while your mind was racing.

"Poor thing." Lena breaks the silence. "Let's get you cleaned up and checked in first and then we'll figure things out, alright?"

You look up and nod.

"We probably should take her to see the Commanders and see what they think." Winston says to Lena.

"I was just thinking the same thing!" Lena smiles, as they both look back to you.

* _The Commanders?_ * You thought.

Your heart began to race again like it had already done countless times this morning. You didn't know what to think anymore. Things only continued to escalate. You were nervous at what they may have to say.

You and Lena started out of the lab through its main entrance.

* _It feels just like if I were attacking on this map._ * You think to yourself while leaving the lab. * _What a cool feeling._ * You smile.

Lena breaks your train of thought.

"Come on, Love! We'll get this all figured out in no time." She smiles brightly.

Winston had decided to stay in the lab to finish up a few projects but asked you to come by later after things mellowed out. You were definitely feeling better than when you first woke up. You couldn't help but wonder if you'd run into anyone else while you were here. Suddenly, your stomach filled with butterflies when remembering someone you'd love to meet.

You and Lena continued to walk down different pathways and through different corridors. Some were familiar while others you had never seen before. All the while people would continue to stare and share whispers as the two of you walked by.

* _Lovely..._ * You thought.

"I'm guessing not very many people go streaking through the base?" You ask with a half smile.

Lena laughs. "Not that I've ever seen." Lena wraps an arm around your shoulders while you walk together. "Don't worry, you won't look like this much longer. We'll find you some clothes right after this. I can't wait to see the look on Jack's face when he sees you!" She grins.

You glance around noticing that you're coming up to the end of the map that your used to. Where the payload has to reach in order for the attacking team to win. Instead of the recall shuttle though, it's the MV-261 Orca preparing for departure.

* _That's right, it's getting ready to go to Dorado._ * You remind yourself. * _It should be leaving soon._ *

"Umm...Tracer- sorry Lena, where are we going exactly?" You ask, knowing that there's not much on this side of the map.

Lena smiles. "You can call me Tracer if you'd like, and we're pretty much here."

Lena leads you towards what you recognize to be the last defending spawn.

"Here?"

"Mm-hmm." She steps off to the side of the entrance and motions you in. "After you." She grins excitedly.

Your nerves kick it into full throttle as you begin to descend down the stairs. It feels weird to be going down these stairs instead of up them. You begin to hear voices as you turn the corner on the staircase. You enter the underground meeting room and notice three people gathered around the table. Your body also informs you of the temperature drop by adding goosebumps to your already nerve racking situation.

* _I completely forgot that this was a meeting room!_ * You think as you glance around the room. * _I'm usually in such a hurry to get of here to stop the fast approaching payload outside._ *

You slowly walk down the last few steps before reaching the table. Once there, you notice Commander Morrison, Commander Reyes, and Captain Amari. AKA: Soldier 76, Reaper, and Ana. Whom they were all dressed as such.

* _That's odd..._ * You thought. * _It's their present day forms?_ *

With the way everyone was talking, you were expecting to see their young versions.

* _If this is present day, than why is Reaper here since he's supposed to be with Talon?_ * You ask yourself, confused.

The three of them seemed to be discussing the upcoming mission in Dorado and haven't paid you any attention yet. You noticed that they're all wearing their iconic clothes and outfits, except for Jack and Gabe, who each had their visor and mask resting in front of them on the table. Ana also had her hood down and seemed to only be listening to the other two.

You didn't want to interrupt them and this sounded pretty important. You look over at Lena who also seems to be waiting patiently for an opening in the conversation. 

Lena finally steps forward and catches Gabe's eye on the other side of the table.

"What is it, Lena?" Gabe asks, sounding irritated.

Suddenly Ana and Jack both turn to face Lena as well.

"I'm sorry to interrupt everyone, but I know that Jack is heading out soon and I wanted to check with you all about something." Lena speaks confidently.

"What's up?" Jack questions.

Lena then steps out of the way to reveal you standing behind her.

"(Y/N)?" Jack says surprised.

"My goodness, what are you doing here, Dear?" Ana asks worried.

Lena speaks on your behalf. "She doesn't know, but she's here now."

Gabe stands and walks towards you while removing his infamous, Reaper leather cloak.

"And terribly underdressed I see." Gabe remarks as he removes the flag and drapes the cloak over your shoulders.

It's so big on you that it ends up covering everything better than the flag could. Gabe takes the flag and folds it back up and tosses it on the table in front of Jack.

"So, you just showed up here randomly?" Jack asks.

You nod.

"That's definitely weird, but not unwelcome." Gabe states as he starts to walk towards the stairs.

"Certainly not." Jack agrees. " We just need to figure out why."

"We'll have to figure it out after you get back." Ana points out the time to Jack.

"Right." Jack gets up to leave and starts heading up the stairs. "Get her all cleaned up and situated, and we'll discuss this more when I get back."

Jack puts his tactical visor back on and heads outside to the dropship.

"Oh shoot! I better head back too!" Lena remembers. "I'm supposed to be supervising this mission."

Lena looks to you with a smile and a wink. "Don't worry, Love! I'll catch up with you again later. Until then, Ana and Gabe can look after you."

"Ok, thank you so much, Lena." You smile softly.

"No problem! See you soon! Cheers!" Lena suddenly recalls out of the room.

Ana stands and walks over to the stairs with Gabriel. "I believe Angela is back from her mission and can probably treat you better than I can."

"Reinhardt should be back too, and him and I can clear out a room for you." Gabe says to Ana before turning back to you.

"So what's first?" Gabe asks. "A shower or a check up?"

"I can go inform Angela on the situation while you run through the shower." Ana says, walking up the stairs.

"Excellent. Then let's get you cleaned up." Gabe holds out his arm with a wink.


	2. Trainee or Not?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally getting to the character you all came here for! :D Thanks for hanging in there with me. Feedback is always appreciated!

Gabe offers his arm to hold on to as he leads you to a shower. You were actually looking forward to it after spending part of the night on the dirty ground and pavement outside. Your body still ached all over, and your skin felt rough and dirty. Your hair cried out to be washed and brushed, as you could feel the rat nests tighten when you moved your head. Your feet were also in need of a scrub from walking around barefoot. They were rough and sore, and had turned into a dark brown color on your soles.

You seemed a bit nervous showering in a place like this. Your mind began to have silly fears and race with questions once again.

* _What if when I shower here, I become more part of the game and can't go home? What if I've already been here too long and can't return to the real world?_ *

You had forgotten that you were walking with Gabe until he spoke.

"You alright?" He asks concerned.

"Yea, I suppose so...just a lot on my mind at the moment...sorry for zoning out." You apologize.

"That's alright. Just don't stress over anything too much. At least you teleported here where it's safe with us, and not somewhere dangerous or unfamiliar." Gabriel states.

"Teleported?" You ask, puzzled.

"I imagine that's how you got here."

Symmetra's teleporter comes to mind.

* _But how would that work? It had to be something else._ * You wondered.

The two of you continued walking until you were long past the Watchpoint Gibraltar you knew. Many of the buildings carried on past the original map and had actual purposes than just housing health packs here and there. You noticed that you were starting to pass by places like a cafeteria and recreation room. Each location you passed was just as lively as the last. 

You noticed that you were coming up to the barracks next. They seemed fairly large and housed many people together in single rooms. You were reminded that Overwatch was just like any other type of military. Just set in the future with cooler types of soldiers.

"We're almost there." Gabe says, as you both continue past the barracks.

* _Wouldn't there have been a locker room with showers in it near the barracks?_ * You thought.

You came up to a hallway with rows of doors on both sides. The doors seemed to be pretty spaced out from one another, otherwise it gave off a hotel feel.

As you both continued down the hallway, you started taking glances at each door. They all had according numbers along their frames along with a name on each door. You began glancing back and forth reading the doors on each side

** **Winston** **  
** **Amelie Lacroix** **  
** **John "Jack" Morrison** **  
** **Jamison Fawkes** **  
** **Satya Vaswani** **  
** **Lena Oxton** **

So far, you recognized each "character's" name you walked by. It was like being back stage at a concert and seeing a celebrity name on a door, all they were missing was a star. You really felt pretty starstruck just from reading the names. The next door however, gave you a different feeling.

** **Jesse McCree** **

* _No way..._ * You thought. * _So, he's really here too?_ *

As you walked by the door, you had hopes that it would open and he would walk out and see you guys. Then again, you felt relieved that he didn't have to see you looking like this. You were already embarrassed from seeing so many other amazing people this morning. McCree was the last one you wanted to show this embarrassing look to.

You two continued on as you continued to read each door.

** **Reinhardt Wilhelm** **  
** **Angela Ziegler** **

"Here we are." Gabe says proudly.

** **Gabriel Reyes** **

* _I'm going into his personal quarters? Alone?!_ * You felt nervous again. * _Am I showering here? And isn't he supposed to be a bad guy?_ *

Gabriel unlocks the door and welcomes you in.

* _Holy cow! It's huge!_ *

You step into a very modern and sleek studio apartment. It's neat and tidy and very well lit from the whole back wall being a solid window that looked over the ocean below. It gave off an expensive penthouse feel, certainly not what you thought a soldier of Overwatch would stay, especially Reaper.

"Home, sweet home." Gabe speaks, as you look over the apartment with awe.

"It's beautiful!" You say at last.

Gabriel chuckles. "Yea, I'm pretty fond of it myself."

The apartment even had a full kitchen with stainless steel appliances and high tech screens and gadgets. Most of the furniture was either black or white, matching the Reaper aesthetic.

"Now, how about that shower?" Gabe reminds you, as he heads towards the bathroom.

You nervously followed him to the bathroom.

* _Geez! This bathroom makes my apartment look small!_ *

It was lined with black tile along the walls and floor, making the white toilet and floating sink pop. A large black and white tub sat on the other side of the room against the continuing window wall from before. The shower was against the far wall and was completely open to let the rain shower head flow naturally to a drain nearby. 

"Wow..." You softly say aloud.

Gabe chuckles again softly. "I'm guessing your quarters at your base isn't this nice?"

* _My base? What is he talking about?_ *

"Uhh, well my apartment certainly isn't." You reply.

"Well hopefully you'll really enjoy staying in one of the nicer apartments here for awhile." Gabe says as he pulls out some towels from a cupboard.

* _Awhile?_ * You fear.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and leave you be as you get cleaned up. Feel free to use my shower supplies to your liking and here's a comb I've never had to use, for your hair." He says as he pulls one out of a drawer. "And here's some towels for when you're done." Points to the towels he's set out on the edge of the tub. "If there's anything else you need, just holler. And while you're in here, I'll go hunt for some nice clothes for you. Then we'll get you to your check up. Sound good?"

"Yes sir." You smile. "Thank you so much, Gabe. This really means a lot to me."

"No worries, (Y/N). Anything for my best trainee." He says with a half smile and a wink.

* _Trainee? Is that how everyone sees me?_ *

"Now get washed up and I'll be back later with some clean clothes. Go ahead and take your time." Gabe says as he leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

You sigh, feeling a bit relieved to have a moment to yourself again. You hang up Reaper's cloak on the back of the bathroom door, and sit down on the edge of the tub as you try to gather your thoughts.

* _They're just video game characters in a virtual world to me...but they view me as something else entirely? A trainee from another base? And they all know me so well...from hours of training?_ *

You hear Gabriel leave the apartment.

* _Guess I should at least make the most of my time here until everything gets figured out._ *

You remove your clothes and turn on the hot water for the shower. You begin to scrub your body and hair clean of last night and this morning's events. The hot water from the rain shower felt amazing against your sore body. You stood there and let the water run over you as you looked out the window over the ocean. You began thinking more about everyone you had met so far.

* _How are they real? And their voices and appearances are all spot on!_ * Your mind continued to wonder while in the shower. * _It's like meeting real life celebrities! Except, they're actually my friends, and they treat me as such. Does McCree know who I am too? Does he look and sound just as good as everyone else?_ *

You always thought McCree was the most handsome character on the roster. Knowing that he could be actually real, gave you butterflies in your stomach.

You finished up your shower and had combed out your hair. You were still walking around the bathroom in a towel until you notice a bag hanging from the back of the door handle. You pick up the bag to find some clean clothes.

* _Gabe must have snuck these in while I was zoned out in the shower..._ *

The bag contained a baggy, gray, long sleeve shirt, and some black sweat pants. Still no bra, but I'm sure that would have been hard to find. At least the shirt was plenty baggy to go bra less. You threw on your black spaghetti strap on underneath just in case. Then your boyshorts and the sweats completed the new look. You glance in the mirror for any minor adjustments before heading out.

* _Much better._ * You thought. * _So comfy too! And they even look good!_ *

You opened up the bathroom door and rounded a corner to get to the rest of the apartment. Before entering the main room, you hear a familiar voice that nearly makes your heart stop.

"What do ya mean my favorite trainee is here?"

* _No way..._ * You tell yourself. * _Is that really him? That sounded just like Matthew Mercer!_ *

Your mind throws everything out the window about what's real and what isn't. Your heart starts racing like crazy. You're afraid to turn the corner and actually see one of your all time favorite characters standing there. You felt like you may pass out just from thinking about it. Everyone up to this point has looked and sounded spot on, but none of them made you feel this close to fainting just from hearing their voice.

You hear Gabe chuckle slightly. "I was just as surprised as you are, Jesse."

"I don't believe you, you're just screwing with me."

You figured this would be a good of time as ever to reveal yourself. You take a deep breath and continue to walk around the corner. Your heart nearly stops.

You see both men leaning against different sections of countertops in the kitchen. Each of them looking at you in surprise. You also couldn't keep your mouth from falling open when sighting the real life Jesse McCree. He was dressed in his traditional look. Hat, serape, belt buckle, peacekeeper, and even his boots and spurs, all appeared to be spot on.

Your mind goes blank, and your body weak.

"(Y/N)?!" Jesse can't believe it either.

You slowly walk closer, but your legs feel like jello. All of your movements make it feel like your in a haze. Your vision begins to blur, but you still continue to walk forward. You can barely make out both men bolt towards you as you begin to see more of the ceiling above you.

"Whoa there!" You hear Jesse say, as you feel two strong arms catch you from falling further.

You can barely see Jesse's face before everything goes dark.

***

You feel yourself laying on a bed. Still feeling tired, you keep your eyes closed. You hear voices speaking next to you and over you.

"Is she alright Angela?"

* _McCree?_ *

"As far as I can tell she is. Her check up went well with everything looking to be normal. She's very healthy. She's a bit dehydrated and we should probably bring her some food after she wakes up, otherwise all is well."

* _Mercy?_ *

You feel a large gloved hand brush some of your hair away over your forehead.

"We should probably let her rest as long as she can." You hear a woman say, further away than before. "It sounds like she's had a pretty crazy day so far."

"Yea, I suppose so..." You hear the male voice trail off sounding concerned.

"I'll come find you after she wakes up Jesse."

"Alright, thank you."

You hear the clicking of heels walking away until you can't hear them anymore.

You feel pressure against the bed as you hear it creak. You then feel a pair of lips press against your forehead

* _A kiss?_ *

"Sleep well, (Y/N)." You hear whispered right above you.

The pressure is gone from the bed and you hear the clicking of spurs walking in the same direction as the heels before. You immediately fall back into a deep sleep.

***

You wake up to the sound of voices talking near you. You slowly open your eyes to the bright lights of what looks to be some kind of infirmary. You slowly sit up to see rows of beds on each side of the room. A few being occupied while others had their curtains closed. The beds and curtains were white along with the walls and floor. You notice that your curtain was left slightly open, allowing you to see the room around you.

A few beds down, you see Ana and Reinhardt drinking tea. Reinhardt looks like he was just patched up, wearing strips of gauze here and there. You couldn't make out their conversation from here but you could hear them laugh together every now and then.

* _What happened?_ * You wondered. * _Did I pass out? Was that really McCree that I saw?_ *

You decide to get up slowly as you place your feet on the floor. The floor felt cold against your bare feet as you scooted your body closer to the edge of the bed. You lifted your still weak body from the bed, using the metal headboard for support. The bed creaked loudly as you gripped the metal and pushed against it. Ana and Reinhardt both glance over just as you've gotten your body to stand straight.

"Oh, take it easy Dear!" You hear Ana say.

You look over to see both of them rushing towards you. Reinhardt and Ana both take ahold of each of your arms to help support you in place.

You smile slightly. "I'm alright." You tell them.

Your body still felt a bit weak but you were well rested.

"Don't push yourself, just take it easy." Reinhardt tells you, while him and Ana lead you away from the bed.

"How long have I been asleep?" You ask.

"Only about an hour and a half I'd say." Ana responds.

They lead you over to the bed they were originally sitting on. Ana sits first and pours you a hot cup of tea. While Reinhardt sits down with you on the opposite bed facing Ana.

"Here, drink this." Ana says while handing you the cup of tea.

You take the teacup and feel it's warmth in your hands. You smile at your reflection in the tea before taking a sip. It tastes wonderful and helped put your mind at ease. It was nice to finally drink something for the first time today.

"You really had all of us worried there." Ana says before taking a sip from her cup.

"Indeed." Reinhardt agrees.

"How did I even pass out? And how did I get here?" You ask.

"Angela couldn't find a reasonable explanation, other than you were most likely overwhelmed." Reinhardt tells you between sips.

"The hot shower could have affected you also." Ana states.

* _Or maybe just the hot character I saw afterwards._ * You confirm to yourself.

"Jesse was the one who carried you here and brought you to be looked at by Angela." Reinhardt says before standing.

"Poor Jesse, he's probably the one you worried the most." Ana says as she collects the tea set from the nightstand between you.

"Thank you for the tea." You say.

"Any time Dear." Ana smiles sweetly as she stands and takes the set to a nearby sink.

Your stomach begins to growl at the tease that the tea was.

Reinhardt lets out a hardy chuckle. "Come on my dear, let's get you fed."

He offers you his hand and helps you stand. The tea seemed to help you feel a bit stronger. Now hopefully food should help you recover the rest of your strength.

"We should probably let Jesse know about your condition first." Reinhardt mentions.

Ana returns to the two of you and nods in agreement. "Jesse could always take her from there, since he still needs to eat something to."

"Yes, and I need to help Gabriel finish cleaning out that room." Reinhardt tells Ana.

"Just don't overdue it, your body still needs to recover. That goes for both of you." Ana smiles at the two of you.

Reinhardt smiles. "Not to worry, we'll be fine. Right, (Y/N)?"

You smile and nod.

"Alright, well I probably should head over to the lab to see how the mission is going, so I'll leave you guys to it." Ana says as she prepares to leave. "Oh, and (Y/N)," she hands you a pair of black combat boots with a pair of socks tucked inside one of them. She had them sitting next to the doorway. "I had Fareeha pick these up for you."

"Thank you very much!" You say as you take the boots from her.

She smiles and waves at you bath as she leaves the infirmary. You sit down and put the boots on. Thankfully they were almost the perfect size, perhaps only one size larger. The boots completed your relaxed military look.

"Ok." You say as you stand up.

"Perfect!" Reinhardt smiles brightly. "Let's go see how Gabe and Jesse are coming along with your room."

* _My room?_ * You wondered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit for those of you who have been reading along: I quickly realized that my chapters were pretty short. Ones from here on out will be longer, but I wanted to fix these as well. The original 5 chapters have now been combined into 2. Hopefully this will also be more appealing to those who are just jumping in :D
> 
> Thanks for your patience and help! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it! :D


	3. Am I really staying here for awhile?

Reinhardt led you past the barracks and back to the individual, quarters style of apartments. You felt butterflies in your stomach at the thought of seeing Jesse again.

* _He carried me?_ * You blush at the thought. * _And I wasn't even awake for it?!_ *

You had a dream where he kissed you on the forehead too, but when you thought about it, it didn't feel like a dream. Your mind had no idea what was real anymore. Your whole life, you knew video games could never be real and it's characters fictional. And even though you've been hanging around this lifestyle for half a day now, you still couldn't wrap your head around it. Might as well go with the flow at this point.

Reinhardt led you past all the doors with names until you got towards the end of the hall to find roughly around fifteen unmarked ones.

"Spare rooms?" You ask Reinhardt.

"Yes, they're mainly used for storage nowadays." Reinhardt replies.

* _Maybe they're for when new heroes are added to the game._ * You wonder.

You both come up to the one with an open door and boxes stacked beside it in the hall. You hear the movement of boxes along with Gabe and Jesse playfully shouting at one another.

"Why in the hell do we still have half this crap?!" Gabe yells.

"You're a Commander, I should be askin' you!" Jesse hollers back.

"You're right, and since I'm a Commander, let's just throw all this crap out!" Gabe shouts again.

"Fine by me!" Jesse yells back with a chuckle.

* _What in the world...?_ *

You and Reinhardt stand in the doorway and peer inside. A dusty and dark room full of boxes and other equipment. It had a similar layout to Gabe's apartment, but felt smaller with how cluttered the room was with boxes. You could see both Gabe and Jesse looking through different boxes and moving them into certain directions.

"Boy, this is worse than I remember..." Reinhardt says quietly while looking around the room while he steps inside. "What can I do to help Commander?"

"Ah, Reinhardt!" Gabe walks over to the two of you. "Where do I begin?" Gabe looks around with a tired smile. "How about moving these boxes to the next room across the hall?" As he points to a collection of boxes near the door. "As long as your body is up for it, that is."

"Never better Commander!" Reinhardt says with a hardy chuckle as he picks up the first few boxes with ease.

"Great!" Gabe replies with a smile.

You step off to the side so to not be in Reinhardt's way. You turn back to Gabe, who was now dressed more casually, looking more like Blackwatch Reyes.

"What can I do sir?" You ask Gabe. Your stomach suddenly growls as if to protest the thought of doing something other than eating.

Gabe laughs as he places his hand on your head and ruffles your hair. "You can find something to eat and relax, (Y/N)."

You hear the rustling of boxes towards the back of the room and remember that you haven't met with Jesse yet.

"Found it!" Jesse shouts. You hear some sort of switch being flipped.  
Suddenly, the far back wall begins to move to flood the room with light. Just like in Gabe's room, this one also has one giant window for a wall. Jesse had found the switch to control the large, dusty curtain that had kept it covered. Even with all the boxes in the way, you could still see glimpses of the ocean that the apartment looked over.

"About time!" Gabe shouts back to Jesse. "Now at least I can see the crap I'm throwing out." He says turning back to you, to which you giggle.

"Now, about lunch..." Gabe says to you as he throws his arm around your shoulders. "I was thinking we head over to Rialto for some Italian." He says this as he starts to walk with you towards the door. 

You then hear a box sliding across the floor behind you. A box then hits Gabe in the back of the knees, with enough force that he almost falls over. Gabe stops and looks back.

"Whoops. Sorry Boss." Jesse says sarcastically, shooting a glare at Gabe while leaning on his knee that was propped up on a box next to him.

"Alright, I get it." Gabe says with a smile. "You two go grab some lunch at the cafeteria while Reinhardt and I finish up here." He says, glancing at both of you.

"Much better." Jesse drawls with a smirk.

He walks between you and Gabe and grabs your hand as he walks by.

"Let's getcha fed." Jesse tells you as he leads you out the door.

"Try not to make her faint this time!" You hear Gabe holler as you head down the hall together.

Your cheeks turn red from embarrassment and butterflies fill your stomach as you glance down to see Jesse holding your hand. Jesse turns to you after hearing Gabe's words, reassuring himself that you would be alright this time. He looks at you with a smile, causing your cheeks to burn hotter.

Jesse leads you out of the barracks and towards the cafeteria. As you pass them by, many people stop and stare at the sight of the two of you. Jesse was now keeping his pace with yours while still holding hands as you walked side by side. Whispers were shared by people you passed.

* _Does no one in this base have anything better to do?_ * You thought.

Your heart was racing and your cheeks still flushed. You would steal glances of him out of the corner of your eye as you walked together. You were still having a tough time believing that he was really here, holding your hand, and walking you to lunch. You could smell the sweet scent of cigar smoke from his clothes, along with the feeling of cool metal holding your hand.

* _Wow...I'm certainly not dreaming, but I might as well should be..._ *

"How ya feelin'?" Jesse asks.

"Oh, I'm alright." You find the words to say. "Thank you for carrying me. I wasn't too heavy I hope." You say with a half smile.

"Not at all!" Jesse says with a chuckle. "And anytime (Y/N). I just wanna make sure yer alright." He smiles and lightly squeezes your hand.

You smile back, feeling like the butterflies were going to burst out of your stomach.

"So, do you have to go on any missions today?" You ask, to ignore your racing heart and butterflies.

"Nah, I'm free today since we went on that mission last night."

* _Last night's mission? Is he talking about the match I played before I went to bed?_ *

"Are you talking about the one at Lijiang Tower?" You ask.

"That's the one." He responds. "I was worried that you had forgotten about it already." He chuckles lightly.

"Oh no, of course not!" You reply. "We were so close to winning that one!"

Jesse laughs lightly at your fiery response.

"Yea, we would've, if the enemy team hadn't gone with a triple tank comp." A female voice chimes in from behind the two of you.

You glance behind you to match a face with the familiar voice. Walking behind you is a very casual looking D.va, blowing bubble gum and texting on a very futuristic type of cell phone.

"D.va?!" You say surprised.

Hana looks up from her phone and giggles at your surprise.

"Hey (Y/N)! I heard a rumor that you were here." She says as picks up her pace to walk alongside you.

"Uh, yea..." You trail off, forgetting about your situation.

"Hana, I thought ya would be streamin' all day today?" Jesse jumps in.

"I am." She replies. "Just came by to pick up some more gamer fuel." She smiles.

The three of you walk through the main entrance of the cafeteria. You glance around at the large lunchroom filled with relaxed people, beautiful tables, and good looking food. Many amazing smells fill your nostrils and your stomach growls with excitement.

* _Wow...this place never ceases to amaze me._ *

"I'll catch you guys later," Hana speaks. "I need to get my fuel and get back to my stream. We should hang out and play some games later (Y/N)." She says with a smile.

"Yea, I'd really like that!" Your face lights up.

Hana gives both of you one last smile before disappearing into a crowd of hungry people.

"Alright, ya ready to eat?" Jesse asks, pulling you closer to him, as if not to lose you in the moving crowds.

"You bet!" You say with excitement.

Your arm now making contact with his, you notice how crowded it really was in here. Lunch time seemed to be pretty popular.

"Hmmm..." Jesse ponders while looking around the lunchroom.

You notice that he's looking up towards an open second story of the cafeteria. It appears to be less crowded up there.

"Alright, come with me and try to stay close." Jesse tells you.

You blush and nod in response.

Jesse smiles and begins to push through the crowd of hungry people, keeping a light grip on your hand. You follow close behind until the crowd breaks up at the foot of the staircase leading to the second floor. Walking side by side now up the staircase, you can now see the cafeteria in its entirety. Full of the casual chatter and laid back poses. 

Jesse leads you over to a large round table marked with the iconic logo and full of familiar characters.

"(Y/N)!" You hear Lena call out from the table.

Everyone sitting at the table is now looking over at you with surprise.

You look everyone over with equal surprise as you identify them in order around the table.

** **Hanzo Shimada** **  
** **Genji Shimada** **  
** **Lena Oxton** **  
** **Lucio Correia dos Santos** **  
** **Fareeha Amari** **

All of them appear to be dressed fairly casual but still easily recognizable. Genji looks like his usual self but has his faceplate removed and resting on the table in front of him. You look at each of them in awe.

Lena quickly blinks over to embrace you. "So happy to see that you're alright! I heard that you were in the medical ward a little longer than expected." She says, worried.

"Whoa, what happened?" Lucio speaks up.

"Oh, nothing major. I'm alright, really." You tell everyone with a slight smile.

Jesse walks you closer to the table and pulls out the empty chair beside Hanzo, ushering you to sit. You do so and feel the butterflies stir at the polite gesture.

"I'll let ya relax here while I go grab us some food." Jesse says, as he pushes your chair in. "What sounds good to eat?"

"Uh...I'm up for pretty much anything honestly."

"How bout a burger and some fries?" Jesse asks with a smile.

"That sounds great!" You respond with excitement, as your stomach chimes in as well.

"You're not really going to feed her such things if she's trying to recover, are you?" Hanzo turns back and quizzes Jesse.

"What, would ya prefer I find her some raw fish wrapped in seaweed instead?" Jesse responds, leaning forward over the back of your chair.

"At least bring back a healthy side dish with it." Hanzo replies slightly annoyed.

"Alright, got it." Jesse says before heading back down the stairs.

"Honestly..." Hanzo sighs and mumbles to himself.

"So (Y/N), how do those boots fit?" Fareeha asks.

"Great!" You reply. "Thank you so much!"

"Of course! Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." Fareeha says with a smile.

"The same goes for any of us." Genji chimes in.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Thank you so much everyone. That means a lot to me to hear." You smile shyly.

"How long will you be staying with us?" Lucio gives you an excited smile.

"Ummm,...I'm not quite sure yet..." You say glancing to Lena who returns your worried gaze.

"Hopefully long enough so that we can get some training done together." Genji says with enthusiasm.

Hanzo nods with Genji's statement while taking a sip of tea.

"I would really enjoy that." You tell them, thinking about practicing with their weapons.

"You should join us in a game of ball before you leave too." Lucio says, slinging his arms over Lena and Fareeha's shoulders.

"Agreed!" Lena says with excitement.

"Alright." You reply with a bright smile.

Shortly after, Jesse returns with two trays of food. Each carrying burgers, fries, and coleslaw. Jesse sets one down in front of you and takes the open seat beside you.

Hanzo looks over the tray of food in front of you and turns his attention over to Jesse. "Coleslaw? That's your idea of a healthy side dish?"

"It goes well with the burger." Jesse says as pulls off his glove and picks up his burger.

You giggle at the two of them as you start to eat a few fries.

Lena suddenly jumps as her cell phone goes off in her pocket. Everyone looks to her as she stands up and walks away to take the call.

You bite into the juicy burger as casual conversation picks up amongst the rest of the table.

* _Mmmm....so good!_ *

Everyone else was finishing up their meals or just relaxing around you. Discussing upcoming and past missions, a few of which you recognized as matches you'd played through with a few of them. Recalling special or fun moments during each mission and how they should prepare for future ones.

Jesse finishes up his burger and looks over at you. "How is it?" He asks.

"It's really good." You say shyly, wiping away some barbecue sauce that barely missed your mouth.

Jesse smiles and kicks back in his chair as he continues his fries.

Lena comes back to the table and walks over to the two of you.

"Hey Jesse, after you guys finish eating, do you think you guys could come by Jack's office?"

"Sure, was that him on the phone?" Jesse replies.

"Yea, he just got back from Dorado and wanted to go over a few things with both of you. Sounds like he wants to try and figure some things out." Lena says while resting a hand on your shoulder.

"Ok, we'll head over that way shorty." Jesse tells her.

"Great, I'll meet you there then." Lena smiles and blinks down the stairs.

Feeling nervous, you find yourself staring at the remainder of your food as you eat.

"Take yer time, we'll leave after you're done." Jesse tells you with a soft smile.

You nod with a returned smile.

* _What does Jack want to discuss? Should I tell them that I'm not really from another base? That this is a video game to me?_ *

You nervously sort out your thoughts and prepare what to say as you finish your meal.

You push away the empty tray in front of you as you lay back in your chair and feel how full you are.

Jesse smiles over at your gesture. "Pretty good?" He asks.

"Yes, thank you." You reply with a soft smile, dreading on what was coming next.

"Glad to hear it." Jesse says as he sits up in his chair. "Well, how bout we pay the Commander a visit?"

"Oh, is that where you're going next?" Fareeha asks Jesse.

The rest of the table pauses their conversation and glances over at the two of you.

Jesse stands up and stacks your trays. "Yea, we'll have to catch up with ya guys later."

"Don't worry about your trays Jesse," Lucio speaks up. "I'll grab'em on my way out."

"Appreciate it." Jesse drawls as he helps you out of your chair.

"You take it easy." Hanzo tells you, Genji nodding in agreement beside him.

"I will, thank you." You smile back at everyone. "Hope to see you guys again soon." You say, wondering if this would be the last time you'd see them. You were unsure if this visit to Jack's office would fix everything that had happened.

*******

Jesse leads you out of the cafeteria to start the long walk to Jack's office. You knew it must be some ways away since Jesse lit a cigar now that the two of you were outside. Feeling nervous, you didn't know what to talk about on the way there.

Jesse switched sides with you to keep his smoke out of your face and reached down to hold your hand as you walked. Feeling the old, but soft leather of his gloved hand. You smile at the feeling and the gesture of holding hands as you walked together. It seemed that you both had a silent mutual agreement that you wanted it this way. 

You looked at the ground as you walked, attempting to calm your nerves. Jesse picked up on your behavior and gently rubbed his thumb over yours.

"You alright?" Jesse asks, cigar gritted between his teeth.

"Yea, just a little nervous." You reply.

"No worries, I'm with you." Jesse speaks softly.

Your cheeks grow warm once again. The two of you approach a large door bearing the name of the Commanders office. Jesse puts out his cigar as you take a deep breath before entering.

You enter the large circular office with a view of some training grounds behind it. The office was very clean and tidy, just as you pictured an army general would have.

A large desk was situated towards the back of the room. Placed in front of the large window that looked out across the training quarters below. The rest of the room was arranged with small sofas and trophies and awards lined the walls. Along with old portraits of different members and from old events. You looked them over in awe. Seeing pictures that you'd never seen before. Some were newspaper clippings that portrayed Overwatch for the heroes that they were.

Gabriel, who had been leaning against the desk and talking to Jack and Lena, looks up to you and Jesse strolling in.

"About time you two showed up." He says jokingly.

Gabe stands and walks over to both of you and stands beside Jesse.

"I was starting to think that you two had wondered off to somewhere...more private." He says with a smirk as he glances at your hands intertwined together.

Your face goes bright red once more as you pull away and take a few steps forward to stand in front of the desk where Jack was sitting.

You take a deep breath and recollect your thoughts before you speak.

"You wanted to see me Commander?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the longer delay on this one! I need to get used to writing in longer portions. Let me know how this one turned out! Thanks for all the support!


	4. Business and romance?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has to be my favorite chapter so far! I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :D
> 
> It probably didn't help that I was listening to Clint Black's "Like the Rain" while writing the last portion. ^^;
> 
> Enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated! :3
> 
> (Y/N) = Your Name  
> (F/N) = Full Name

"You wanted to see me Commander?"

"Yes. Go ahead and take a seat (Y/N)." Jack replies.

You take a seat at one of the two chairs placed in front of Jack's desk. You hear a small thud behind you as you sit.

"Ow! What?" Gabe chuckles lightly.

You assume that Jesse had hit him lightly in response to Gabe's comment. You hear the two of them step closer and stand directly behind you before Jack continues to speak. Lena sits down on the empty chair beside you. Everyone is watching Jack intently as he shuffles and organizes paperwork.

"Alright." Jack says at last, as he seems to have finished what he was doing. He leans back in his chair slightly as he makes eye contact with you. He seemed to still be dressed in his normal fashion for the most part. His tactical visor was resting on his gloves off to the side on the desk. And you recalled seeing his iconic '76' jacket hanging up near the door when you came in. He wore a tight, black T-shirt, that appeared to be tucked in from what you could see. You figured it was part of his uniform, but you just never saw it due to the jacket. His arms looked muscular and scarred in some places. He crosses his arms as he speaks.

"Let's get this whole ordeal straightened out."

"Ok..." You speak softly.

"First off, where are you from? Where is your base located?" Jack asks.

"Actually Sir, I'm not from a base. I rent a small apartment in a small town located in the United States." You respond, pushing your sleeves up on your shirt. You felt hot from being nervous and embarrassed.

"Really?" Jack's eyes widened.

"Yes Sir. I also have a job working for a small company in town."

"So, that's what you do on the weekdays?" Jack questions.

"Yes Sir." You nod with your response.

"I see...So you do the simulation training from home?" 

"Yes."

"Hmmm..." Jack leans further back in his office chair and seems to go over everything you've told him. "So then how did you get here?"

"I honestly don't know Sir. I went to bed right after last night's mission and I woke up here."

Jack thinks for a moment and leans forward on his elbows on the desk. Resting his chin in his thumbs with his fingers interlaced across his mouth.

"Does your simulator at home have a large screen and an internet connection?"

* _That's an oddly specific question?_ *

"Yes to both." You reply.

"A big enough screen that you could possibly fit through?" 

"Yea, I suppose so...?"

* _What on Earth is he thinking? I traveled here through my TV?_ *

Jack looks up to Gabe. "Did you come to the same conclusion, Gabe?"

Gabe sighs and has his arms crossed. "Yea, it's entirely possible."

Jack nods in agreement and turns his attention to Lena. "Lena, get ahold of Olivia for me and quiz her about her recent behavior. I know she's currently at Volskaya Industries, but inform her that we will be having a discussion when she returns."

"Aye aye Sir!" Lena says as she stands with a salute before blinking out of the office.

"Olivia...?" You mumble to yourself

Jesse leans down and whispers in your ear. "Sombra."

"Oh...!" You say to yourself.

* _Does Jack think that Sombra hacked my console? But what would she gain from doing something like that?_ *

Jack pulls out a new piece of paper and a pen from one of the desk's drawers. He starts writing things down in a list format. He pauses briefly and returns his attention back to you.

"Besides from work, will anyone else notice that you're missing?"

"Not that I can think of..." You trail off.

"What about your family or friends?" Jack raises an eyebrow.

"I only contact my family every now and then, and my friends won't be suspicious until they notice that I'm not online this weekend." You say looking down at your hands gripping each other on your lap.

"Online?" Gabe questions.

* _Whoops, that probably made no sense._ *

"Yea,...you know...to train...?" You bite your lip, unsure of your own answer.

"Your friends are present when you train with us?" Jack questions.

"Kind of, they train too...Don't they?"

* _I'm super confused...I play with my friends almost every weekend, wouldn't that make them "trainees" too? Why is everyone looking at me like I'm crazy?_ *

"What are ya talkin' about, (Y/N)?" Jesse sounds concerned behind you.

You look at everyone's puzzled expressions as they wait for an explanation.

"You guys don't have any other trainees?" You ask, equally puzzled.

"No, you're our one and only, (Y/N)." Jack responds.

* _How is that possible? There's like a million Overwatch players._ *

"There seriously isn't anyone else that trains with a simulator?" You ask.

"No, it's a special opportunity. We don't grant it to just anyone." Gabe answers.

* _Maybe it's only me because its my game that I got sucked into?_ *

"So I was the only trainee that went on the mission last night?" You turn around and ask Jesse.

"Yep, yer the only one." Jesse replies.

* _So those five other people I was playing with weren't actually there? What about the enemy team? How the hell does that work, they're the same characters. What do they really fight against?_ *

You're mind was racing with multiple questions. Everything you knew about the game began to feel like a lie. You leaned forward on your elbows on the desk, with your fingers rubbing your temples.

"You alright?" Jesse places a hand on your back.

"So who are we fighting against when we go on missions?" You ask Jack, ignoring Jesse's question.

"Ominics." Jack answers.

"Ominics?" You repeat. "But then how do they look and act just like you guys? Even when we kill one they sound exactly the same."

"They're called Reflector Ominics." Jack states. "They're made out of a special metal that allows them to take on any form they choose. They're extremely dangerous and should not be taken lightly."

"Reflector Ominics...?" You mumble.

"They were designed by Talon." Gabe chimes in. "They sometimes take on the form of one of us to make us look bad to the public. Which hurts Overwatch as a whole."

"They're constantly trying to take over certain locations in the world and that's why we go on missions to stop 'em." Jesse speaks in a low tone.

* _So Gabe, Sombra, and the others aren't really working for Talon...they're Ominic counterparts are? And that explains the different "skins" for each character. They don't copy someone directly?_ *

"Talon and the Ominics both want the same thing..." Jack pauses.

"For Overwatch to be non-existent in this world." Gabe continues. "So they can do whatever the hell they want without us bothering them."

Your mouth drops in response. You cover your mouth with your hands as you try to comprehend everything you have just heard. In a way, it all made sense. You just couldn't believe how different this was from what you knew and believed.

"I'm sorry that none of this was made clear when you first started your training." Jack says quietly.

"At least I know now..." You say softly. "So, what does it mean when we fail a mission?"

"Another group is sent in to finish up." Gabe says.

"I see...so there's never really such a thing as a failed mission?" You ask.

"Not really." Gabe replies. "It gets taken care of one way or another."

You sit in silence for a moment, recalling past missions you've played through, but replacing them with the new facts you had just learned.

Jack breaks your train of thought. "Does everything make more sense now?"

You nod.

"Good." Jack goes back to his pen and paper. "Let's get back on track then. So your friends won't be concerned until the weekend, correct?"

"Yes." You say dryly. "They may not even think much of it if it's just one weekend. They'd probably assume that I was super busy with work..." You trail off thinking about them.

"Good, then hopefully we can get you home before anyone is too concerned."Jack says as he continues to write things down. "We'll handle your job and work status when you return."

You nod, not quite sure what he even means by that.

"So, I'm guessing I'll be here for awhile?" You ask Jack with a concerned tone.

"Looks that way, yes. At least until we can get everything figured out." Jack says, leaning back in his chair once more.

"What am I supposed to do until then? I don't want to be a burden to anyone by being here for awhile." You tell him.

"On the contrary," Jack says as he pulls out a file from a desk drawer and begins flipping through the pages. "In fact, I believe you'll do quite the opposite while you're here."

"Huh?" You tilt your head in confusion.

"Let's see..." Jack says as he skims through the file's papers before stopping on one. "You have hundreds of hours in training alone, but you also have thousands of head shots and eliminations. You're also an excellent field medic and viable tank."

* _Are those my game stats he's reading off?_ *

"I'd say that you're more than ready to try the real thing." Jack continues. "You can go on missions like you usually do, but this time in person. We'd run you through some standard physical training first of course."

"Really?" You look to him with excitement.

"I don't see why not. This is what you've been training to do for so long."

"That would be amazing!" You exclaim.

The three men chuckle lightly at your enthusiasm.

"For now, however, we'll need to figure out where you'll be staying..."

"Her apartment still has a lot of crap that needs to be sorted through or relocated before she can move in." Gabe tells Jack.

"I see...," Jack thinks for a moment. "Guess you'll have to stay in the women's quarters in the barracks until it's all cleared out-"

"Not a chance." Jesse steps in. "There's no way I'm lettin' her sleep down there. She can just bunk with me until it's finished."

"Ha! Fat chance, Jesse!" Gabe joins in. "She'd be too tired to train or go on missions if she stayed with you!"

* _What's that supposed to mean?_ *

You blush at the thought and shake your head before letting your mind travel any further.

"That's why she'll be staying with me." Gabe says proudly. "I'll take good care of her." Gabe smirks as he rests his hands on your shoulders.

"Personally, I don't think either one of you should be trusted." Jack stands, pushing his chair in."Suppose she'll have to stay with me instead." Jack smiles at you.

"Hell no!" Both Jesse and Gabe shout in unison.

"Then the barracks it is then." Jack says with a smile as he walks around his desk as he heads for the door. Passing by the two pouting men.

"I'll have Fareeha set up a bed for you." Jack says to you as he opens the door. "I'll see you guys later." Jack says before leaving the room.

Gabe let's out a heavy sigh. "Guess that means I should clear out that room as fast as possible."

"I'd be happy to help out." You say as you stand.

"Nah, it's alright." Gabe starts walking towards the door. "I've got enough help, just need to get it done. You guys just relax and have fun." Gabe says with a wink before leaving the office.

Your heart begins to race being alone with Jesse. Gabe's comments made your heart beat faster. You were a little confused on your relationship with Jesse, or with anyone for that matter. They all seemed like old friends that you were reconnecting with, but Jesse seemed like more than just that. It's weird to think about, since in a way it feels like you've just met each other.

Jesse starts to head towards the door. He seemed to be thinking hard about something. Finally he reaches the door and turns back towards you.

"Let's go do some training." He says at last.

"Training?" You repeat back. "What kind of training?"

* _Shut up brain!_ *

"Target practice." Jesse drawls, opening the door and waving you through.

You leave the office together as you follow Jesse to the practice range. You walk in silence on the way there, each of you having different things on your mind. Listening to Jesse's spurs click as he walks and smelling the sweetness of his lit cigar. You look up to see the once blue sky had turned to a dark shade of gray. The wind had picked up in your absence and was blowing through Jesse's serape, threatening to steal his hat. He tilted his head down to prevent this, still lost in his own thoughts.

You reach the practice range, feeling a now cool breeze blowing in from the ocean below. Many recruits that had been training were now finishing up due to the incoming storm above. Some areas of the practice range were covered, but it was still located outside.

Jesse walks over to a long distance target near the cliff side. You stand by his side with folded arms, to prevent any shivering from the cold breeze. You look around at the somewhat familiar practice range as Jesse unholsters his iconic peacekeeper. You notice that you and Jesse were the last one's on the range.

Jesse holds up the large revolver and lines up his shot. He pulls the trigger and reminds your ears of its beautiful and familiar sound. He hits the center target with quick accuracy which causes the target to spin rapidly.

"Nice shot...!" You whisper.

Jesse smiles with his cigar still gripped between his lips.

"Now it's yer turn." He tells you and spins the revolver slightly in front of you to reveal its grip.

"Oh, but I'm a terrible shot." You tell him.

Jesse chuckles softly. "That ain't true, I've seen ya make better shots than that."

* _That's with a controller though..._ * You think to yourself.

You wrap your fingers around the peacekeeper's grip and rest your pointer finger on the trigger guard. Jesse let's the pistol go to let you experience the revolvers true weight.

* _It's so much bigger than I expected and heavier too! This is more like a Magnum compared to a normal revolver._ *

Jesse hooks his thumps behind his belt buckle while you raise the revolver to take aim. Looking down its worn out iron sights, you line up your shot and pull the trigger. The peacekeeper kicks gently in your hand as it sends a bullet flying directly above Jesse's shot on the center target.

"I'm a terrible shot." Jesse says mockingly with a smirk.

* _How...how did I hit that? It felt like I had fired this gun a hundred times...but how?_ *

You hand the revolver back to Jesse as you begin to hear some thunder rolling in the distance.

"I knew I had nothin' to worry about, yer still a better shot than ever." Jesse says with a grin.

You watched the center target slow to a slight sway, still amazed that you even hit it.

* _What was that feeling just now...?_ *

Jesse takes a few shots as it starts to trickle light raindrops. You were still trying to figure out all these odd feelings you were having, with the peacekeeper, and with Jesse. You and Jesse felt closer than friends, but it was unspoken and odd.

"Jesse?" You ask in a low tone, feeling little raindrops touch you lightly.

"Hmm?" Jesse reloads.

"We've been on a lot of missions together, right?"

"Mmhmm." Jesse puts out his cigar. "What about it?"

"I don't know...I guess I was only trying to figure out our relationship."

Suddenly there was a bright flash of lightning, followed by a loud crack of thunder. You jump at the sudden abruption. The rain quickly transitions from a trickle to a downpour.

"Oh crap..." You mumble out loud.

"Quick, over here." Jesse grabs your hand and rushes you to a covered target range nearby.

Jesse leans against a beam on the awning and shakes out his hat of any excess water. You run your hands up and down your arms in attempts to warm your now soaked body. The clothes you wore absorbed the water well, and quickly made your body shiver. Jesse puts his hat back on and notices you shivering.

"C'mere..." Jesse takes your hand and pulls you closer.

He unwraps his serape slightly to cover both of you while still casually leaning against the supporting beam. He places his hands against your lower back and pulls you into a tight embrace. He rests his chin on your head and rubs his hands up and down your back. Your hands and face were pressed against the cool metal of his chest plate. You felt flustered but comfortable. Still confused on how you were in a romantic embrace with a fictional character you had the hots for.

You looked out on the practice range to see the rain and wind making each target sway. You enjoyed the smell of rain and the sound of it falling on the metal surfaces throughout the range with the occasional thunder rumble. Your body relaxed against Jesse's and was quickly warming up with the shared body heat.

* _Should I say something or just enjoy this amazing moment?_ *

As if he read your mind, Jesse speaks in a low drawl.

"Are ya still confused about our relationship?" He asks with a smirk and that sweet buttery voice.

Your cheeks grow warm. You were unsure of what to say, so instead you shrug in response. Trying to hide the blush in your cheeks.

Jesse chuckles lightly. "Perhaps I haven't been clear enough."

You feel Jesse place a light kiss on the top of your head.

The butterflies stir once again and you're almost positive that you're beet red by this point. Once again, you have so many questions but you don't want to ruin this once in a lifetime moment.

* _Has he always had the same feelings for me as I did for him?_ * You wonder. * _But how? From spending so much time together? Maybe I appear very real to him when we train, instead of him being fictional to me?_ *

The rain continues to downpour and the thunder rolling. You decide to keep your questions to yourself for now and instead pull away slightly to see his beautiful brown eyes staring back at you. He gives you this tired, yet sexy smile. He seems relaxed, leaning against the beam while holding you in his arms.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to hold ya like this." Jesse says in a sweet drawl.

Your lips release a bashful smile across your face.

"You've really had the same feelings for me this entire time?" You ask, looking into his soft eyes.

"Does this answer your question...?" Jesse drawls as he slowly leans down and presses his lips against yours.

Your eyes slowly close, enjoying this unbelievable experience. His lips are soft and warm. He pulls away, but only for a moment before tilting his head and closing in again. Your stomach butterflies were going crazy, heart racing, and your mind blank. You didn't want this moment to end. You deepened the kiss slightly to make sure he knew that you wanted this too. The kisses exchanged remained soft, slow, and gentle. Enjoying each other's love at a slow but intimate pace. The rain continuing to pour, nearly drowning out the soft kissing sounds between the two of you.

The intercom system however, was loud and clear even through the heavy rain.

"Will (F/N) please come to the medical ward. (F/N) to the medical ward. Thank you." What sounded like Mercy's voice, could be heard over the intercom.

You and Jesse part lips as Jesse let's out a small sigh.

"Duty calls, huh?" He says with a half smile, as he tucks some of your hair behind your ear.

"Yea..." You let out a small sigh as well.

"We better go see what Angela needs."


	5. Training begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slight delay on this chapter. Tried to figure out how to tie all the upcoming events together.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it and I hope to have the next chapter out sooner than this one was. :D
> 
> Let me know if you find any typos or what you think of it so far! Feedback is always appreciated! :)

Jesse unwraps his serape the rest of the way and wraps it around your shoulders as you both pull away to stand up straight. Jesse puts his arm around your shoulders, holding the serape in place, as you both make a dash back to the main building. 

"Your going to need another shower after this, just to prevent cha from catchin' a cold." Jesse says with a soft smile.

"I'm sure I'll be alright." You smile back, as you unwrap Jesse's serape to give back to him.

"Nah, you keep it for now." Jesse says as he wraps you back up. "Don't need you gettin' any colder."

Jesse takes your hand in his as the two of you head over to the medical ward.

On the way over, you get the usual glances and whispers from people passing by. More so now with Jesse's serape wrapped around you than when you were walking around in your underwear wrapped in a flag. You decide to ignore it, your mind still processing the previous event that had just occurred.  
Subconsciously, you placed a couple of fingers against your bottom lip, still feeling the sensation of Jesse's lips just moments ago. 

You catch Jesse stealing a peek at you out of the corner of your eye. Wearing a sexy, yet proud smile. He gives you a quick wink before looking forward again. The blood rushes back to your cheeks and you bring your hand back under the serape to hold it in place.

Together, you reach the medical ward, where Angela greets you with a soft smile and a warm hug. She's dressed in a casual doctor's attire, wearing a light blue shirt with a tight black skirt and heels covered by a white lab coat.

"You rang?" Jesse speaks as you hug her.

"Yes." Angela tells Jesse before releasing you at arms length. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person!"

* _She's so beautiful!_ * You thought. * _No surprise really, everyone here is._ *

"You too!" You reply with a smile.

"I was hoping to catch you when you woke up this afternoon, but I'm afraid that I was needed else where." Angela says in a disappointed tone.

"That's alright!" You say with a smile. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Anytime (Y/N)!" She says with a bright smile and strong accent. "Come on back to my office and we'll get your measurements." She motions you to follow her past all the beds to the back of the ward where a small sectioned off office is located.

You follow her into the office with Jesse following close behind you. The office is clean and tidy, full of medical equipment, vintage looking furniture, and photos and awards cover the walls.

"You said you needed my measurements?" You question her, as you glance around the room.

"Yes. Fareeha and Jack asked me to get your measurements so they can pick out your new uniforms for tomorrow." She says sweetly while picking up a sewing, tape measure up from her desk.

* _Uniforms?!_ * You think to yourself with an excited smile.

Angela walks around behind you and slides the serape off of your shoulders and hangs it up on an old, wooden coat rack placed in the corner of the room. She then lifts each of your arms and begins taking different measurements and writing them down. Jesse walks over and sits in a chair rested directly in front of where you are standing. He sits with a tired groan. He lets his body fall back in the cushioned chair as he stretches his legs out, folds his hands, and tilts his head back.

"Tired?" You ask him, even though you already knew the answer.

"Yea, a bit." He replies before closing his eyes.

"You never rested properly after last night's mission, did you?" Angela quizzes, as she continues taking measurements. "No wonder you're still in your uniform."

"Yea..., I've had a lot on my mind recently..." Jesse trails off, eyes still closed. "I'm sure I'll be better from now on though." Jesse opens up one eye to look at you with a tired smile before closing it again.

* _Have I been on his mind? _* You wonder.__

____

____

Angela sighs. "Jesse..."

Angela finishes taking all the usual measurements and writes them all down.

"Ok, just need one more..." She trails off while writing. She then turns to Jesse, who seems to be half asleep. "Jesse, I may need to ask you to leave for this one."

"Hmm?" Jesse remains still and his eyes closed.

"I need your breast measurements." She says walking back to you. "That way we can find you some bras along with some other clean underwear."

"Oh..." You speak softly, a little embarrassed.

"Don't mind me Darlin'," Jesse speaks up with his eyes still closed. "I won't peek." He says this as he pulls his hat down to cover his face before crossing his arms and attempting to fall asleep.

"Not quite what I had in mind..." Angela turns back to you, rolling her eyes. "I have a pull out curtain over here that you can stand behind if you'd like?" She motions to the other side of the room where a hide away curtain rested.

You go behind the curtain and remove the two shirts you had on while Angela takes your measurements. As embarrassing as it was, you were looking forward to having some clean fitting clothes.

"There we go..."Angela speaks to her notepad as she writes the remaining measurements.

You redress yourself in the still damp clothes before pushing the curtain back to its resting place. You notice that Jesse was still in the same position but seemed to be taking deeper breaths now that he was asleep.

"Alright," Angela says to you, notepad in hand. "Thank you for coming in so that I could get these."

"I should be the one thanking you guys for the new clothes." You tell her, feeling the now cold shirts against your body.

"Not a problem Dear." Angela smiles.

Both of you glance over at Jesse once again.

"Jesse, we're all through if you wanna go grab some dinner now." Angela speaks softly.

Jesse stirs as he stretches and wakes his body up.

"Yea," Jesse drawls in a tired tone. "Suppose I should eat somethin' and then I'll head to bed."

"That would be good." Angela smiles softly as she leads you both out of the office.

*******

The three of you grab dinner together with a few other members before you decide to get some sleep for the night. Jesse wasn't the only one that was tired. It hit you after eating a full meal, your body was ready to sleep after this long day too.

Jesse headed back to his quarters while Jack and Fareeha showed you where you would be sleeping. Fareeha leads you into the women's barracks. It's a large room with multiple beds placed beside one another. Some women were already asleep while others were getting ready to. She shows you a freshly made, unused bed on the end towards the corner of the room.

"This is where you can sleep tonight while we finish up your room." Fareeha tells you.

The beds weren't very big and didn't look very comfortable. They also appeared to have little to no sheets and blankets. This worried you after feeling how cold it was in here. The barracks themselves were located below the other buildings, it was quiet but also much colder. Your body shivered from still being cold from earlier.

You follow Fareeha back outside of the barracks where Jack was waiting patiently.

"All set?" Jack asks looking to both of you.

"I think so." You say in a nervous tone.

You weren't sure how you felt about sleeping here, but your body was getting too tired to care anyway.

"Good. Then we'll see you in the morning before we start your training." Jack says with a soft smile.

"Here's these for tomorrow." Fareeha hands you a black cargo bag with an Overwatch logo on it. "It's your uniform with a few other personal items."

"Thank you so much." You say, taking the bag.

Before everyone says their goodbyes, you hear the familiar clicking of spurs walk up behind you. You turn around to see Jesse carrying a large blanket.

"You know I can't let you sleep here Jesse." Jack says with a half smile, arms crossed.

"Yea, I know." Jesse says with a tired small. "Thought I'd let ya borrow this for the night." Jesse hands you the large folded blanket.

It appeared to be an old military style type of blanket. It was a dark gray color and had a rough feel to the touch. You took it in your arms and it felt heavier than expected.

"I remember how cold the barracks used to be back in my Blackwatch days and thought you could use this." Jesse tucks his thumbs in his pockets.

"Good idea Jesse." Fareeha smiles.

"(Y/N), be sure to let one of us know if you need anything else." Jack says before leaving. "Otherwise we'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Ok. Thank you again." You tell Jack and Fareeha as you all say goodnight to each other.

They head off in separate directions, leaving you and Jesse alone in the quiet and cold corridor. 

"Wish you didn't have to sleep here." Jesse breaks the silence while looking at the doorway to the barracks. "I'd feel better if you were with me instead, but I'm sure they would notice you missin' in the mornin'."

"That's alright, hopefully this won't be bad." You say. "I'm sure the blanket will be a big help."

Jesse steps closer to give you a gentle hug as he whispers in your ear.

"Be careful when you unfold it. I put a small surprise to help you feel safe tonight."

You give him a puzzled look as he releases you from the hug.

"I'll sleep better knowin' you have it" Jesse whispers before planting a kiss on your forehead.

"Thank you Jesse." You whisper back.

You slowly kiss each other goodnight before watching him head back to his quarters.

You headed back into the barracks and walked back to your designated bed for the night. Carrying the heavy blanket and cargo bag slung over your shoulder, you pass many of the now sleeping women. Some were still awake reading or whispering softly to one other and would give you a glance as you walked by.

You approached the bed, hanging the cargo bag on one of the bed knobs as you prepare to gently unfold Jesse's blanket. Unfolding it slowly you start to see something white peeking out of one of the folds. It was hard to see with the room mostly dark and only a few bedside lamps turned on. It didn't help that the blanket was gray and dark itself. You continued unfolding it slowly before it opened up to reveal that the something white was the barrel of a peacekeeper.

Looking identical to the one Jesse let you fire earlier today, but with black and white accents instead. You quickly recognized the old revolver as the one from McCree's "White Hat" skin in the game. One of the first skins you ever switched him to when the game was still young. It laid wrapped up with its' matching holster.

You gently pick up the heavy revolver, admiring its' nostalgic feel. You smile softly at Jesse's surprise before tucking the gun into the holster and placing it behind and under your pillow. 

You finish unfolding the blanket and laying it over the bed, before quietly undressing down to the same spaghetti strap and boyshorts that you slept in the night before. You hung your still slightly damp and cold clothes on the end of the bed frame and slid the combat boots underneath them. Climbing into the small bed, you replayed all of today's events back in your head before trying to fall asleep. 

You pulled the heavy military blanket up and over your shoulders, smelling a little musky with hints of cigar and cologne. The smells brought a smile to your face as your mind played back the sweet moment you and Jesse shared out in the practice range. Remembering the rain around you as you kissed through the storm, the occasional drop of rain that would drip off of Jesse's hat when he would tilt his head for each new kiss. You smiled feeling the butterflies stir at the thought and the sensation.

Slowly you closed your eyes, feeling exhaustion take over. Realizing that you could no longer hear the thunder rumbling outside and instead enjoyed the silence of the cold space. The silence was short lived however, due to a few ladies still whispering amongst themselves a few beds down. You could barely make out what they were saying while you laid there trying to drift off.

"It's so stupid!" You hear one say. "Why her?"

"Well, they have gone on quite a few missions together. I suppose it only makes sense." Another one says.

"But still, she's never actually been there with him. It's just not fair. I've always been here in person to help him out with things and he hardly gives me a second glance..."

"Yea, I heard they were making out at the practice range."

* _What?!_ * Your eyes shoot open.

"What?! Seriously?!" The first one says in a louder whisper.

"Yea, I heard one of the groups of guys talking about it at dinner. Apparently they were at the practice range when the storm hit and one of them looked out at the rain pouring on the range and said he saw the two of them making out."

* _We weren't making out....it was just a few kisses..._ * You thought before closing your eyes again.

"That's ridiculous..." The first one says exasperated. "She's only been here one day and they're already all over each other."

"Well, hopefully she won't be around much longer for them to get any closer."

"Yea, let's hope not."

The two girls finish their conversation as they say goodnight and turn off a bedside lamb. You lay there, going over everything they've talked about before finally pushing the thought aside to fall asleep.

*******

The next morning, you wake up to the sound of the women around you getting dressed and walking around. You open your eyes and panic for moment before remembering where you are.

* _That's right...I'm in a video game._ * You think to yourself before slowly sitting up in bed and looking around at all the ladies getting ready for the day. * _What time is it?_ * You wonder, rubbing your eyes from their slumber.

You let out a tired yawn as you decide to get out of bed. Stretching as you start to pull some of the new clothes out of the cargo bag. You put on the new underwear and bra before pulling up a pair of black cargo pants and matching belt. A black form-fitting T-shirt with an Overwatch logo on each sleeve is next in your ensemble, that you tuck into the pants before buttoning them up. Clean socks for the black combat boots from the day before complete your military style uniform.

You find some deodorant and a hairbrush with a hair tie in one of the many pockets on the bag. You pull your hair back into a ponytail after brushing it out. Pulling out the white peacekeeper from its hiding place, you attach its' holster to your belt so that it lay against your hip.

Folding up the blanket and packing everything else back into the bag, you head out of the barracks.

You meet up with Jack who was waiting outside.

"Good morning Soldier." Jack greets you in a stern tone.

"Morning." You tell him with a tired smile. "You haven't been waiting long, have you?" You ask.

"Not long." He says taking the bag and blanket from you. "I'm just impressed to see you up and ready this early after the day you had yesterday." Jack spots one of Jesse's peacekeepers on your hip after taking the blanket from you. "Very ready I see." He says with a half smile.

You glance down at the revolver with a smile before returning to Jack's gaze. "Yea, you did say that we would begin training today, right?"

"Indeed. Let's get started."

The two of you head over to the personal apartments where Gabe has been working hard to clear out your apartment. You enter the apartment to see that it had come a long way from the progress you saw yesterday. Jack places the bag and blanket next to the door as Gabe walks over to greet you.

"Good morning (Y/N)." Gabe says with a straight face and stainless steel mug in hand.

"Good morning." You reply. "You weren't up all night, were you?"

"Nah, I just came in a little while ago."

"Looks good Gabe." Jack joins in. "Wanna take a break and join us for some training?"

"Our idea of a "break" are clearly different, but of course." Gabe says with a joking tone.

"Great." Jack says before he motions you to follow him out. "Come on then."

*******

The three of you reach the practice range where Jack and Gabe run you through different drills and routines. Jack and Gabe each take turns walking you through different procedures and drills as you preform them together. None of them were super hard, but your muscles would probably start to argue that the further you went with the training.

Thankfully it was still cool outside this early in the morning. With that cool ocean breeze blowing over the sweat building on your skin. Your muscles started to feel like jello after each drill.

* _So this is Overwatch boot camp..._ * You thought.

The three of you continued training until you could finally see the sun peeking over the horizon.

"Alright, let's stop there for today." Jack says at last.

You smiled at the statement, catching your breath.

"You did pretty well (Y/N)." Gabe compliments you while handing you a water bottle.

"Thank you." You say, sounding exhausted while taking a few sips.

"How about we do a practice mission after breakfast?" Jack asks Gabe.

"Yea, I was just thinking that." Gabe replies with tired smile. "I would be interested in seeing how she does."

"A practice mission?" You ask.


	6. Practice Mission

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the 150+ kudos everyone!!! XD

  
"What's a practice mission?" You ask, taking a seat on the ground.

"It's a lot like a normal mission, except you go against other members of the team." Gabe tells you. "Think of it as an extreme 6v6 laser tag style of training."

"That sounds like a blast!" You beam excitedly, as you jump to your feet.

They both smile and let out hardy chuckles to your excitement.

"I thought you would get a kick out of that." Jack adds. "Not only can it be fun, but it's a good way to train in an actual environment."

"We just need to round up some volunteers and pick a location." Gabe tells Jack, to which they nod in agreement.

"Let's get you some breakfast while we get everything set up." Jack places a hand on your back as they lead you out of the practice range.

The three of you walked together over to Winston's lab. The base was now a bit more active now that the sun was actually visible, but where Winston's lab was located still seemed quiet this early in the morning. Jack walked in first with you and Gabriel following close behind. You entered the main part of the lab to see a casual Lena having a conversation with her girlfriend Emily. You recognized her from the "Reflections" comic, but was still surprised to see her here.

"Good morning Commanders!" Lena cheers, as she glances over at all of you. "Oh! And (Y/N) too! Good morning Love!"

"Good morning Lena. Emily." Jack greets each of them. "Is Winston here?" Jack inquires.

"Yep! He's upstairs working on a new project with Hammond." Lena beams.

"Excellent." Jack states. "Have you met Hammond yet, (Y/N)?" He asks you.

"No, not yet." You reply.

"Come along then." Jack tells you as him and Gabe are already heading up the stairs. "We'll be right back ladies." He tells Lena and Emily, as you follow them up the stairs.

You reach the room upstairs to see Winston tinkering away on something. In the corner you see the large Wrecking Ball mech resting, with Hammond sitting on a table next to it. He also appears to be tinkering on something.

"Ah, good morning Commanders. (Y/N)." Winston greets each of you before returning his attention back to his project. "What can I do for you this morning?"

"We wanted to stop by and see if either of you wanted to participate in a practice mission?" Jack crosses his arms as he inspects what they're working on.

"Oh, well thank you for the offer, but we're trying to finish this up before the next real mission."

Hammond squeaks. "Agreed." The large mech speaks for him.

"However, we would be more than happy to supervise." Winston adds.

Hammond cheerfully squeaks. "Indeed."

"Alright, it's settled then." Jack agrees. "Now we still need to find nine more volunteers." Jack tells Gabriel.

"Hold that thought." Gabe tells Jack before walking out of the room and shouting downstairs. "Hey Lena! How would you like to go on a practice mission?!"

"I'd love too!" You hear Lena holler back.

Gabe walks back to you and Jack. "Eight volunteers."

"Let's ask around." Jack nods to Gabe.

"Why don't you hang out here for a bit while we go find some more teammates?" Gabe asks you with a slight smile. "We'll be back in a little bit to take you to breakfast."

"Alright, that sounds good." You reply.

Jack and Gabe give you small nods before leaving the room and exiting the lab.

"How are you feeling this morning, (Y/N)?" Winston grabs your attention.

"I'm doing alright." You answer. "A bit sore from this mornings training, otherwise I feel pretty good."

"Excellent!" Winston smiles. "Glad to hear that you're adapting so well."

As if to just notice you, Hammond stops what he's doing to look up at you and let's out an excited squeak.

"Hello (Y/N)!" The large mech flashes when it speaks.

You giggle in response. "It's so nice to finally meet you in person Hammond."

Hammond let's out a few more small squeaks. "Likewise." The deep voice translates.

"I probably should leave so that you guys can continue." You smile before heading for the stairs.

"Thank you. Good luck on the mission." Winston tells you. "I look forward to seeing your performance"

"Fight well." Hammond squeaks

"Thank you! I'll do my best!" You tell them as you walk down the stairs.

You return to the bottom floor where you see Lena and Emily giggling while each enjoying some tea.

"Ah, (Y/N)! Would you like a cup of tea?" Lena notices your return.

"Sure, maybe just half a cup." You answer.

Lena pours you a cup as you take a seat next to them at one of the many work stations in the room. Emily gives you an excited smile as you sit down next to her.

"So you're the special trainee I've heard so much about!" She beams.

Lena hands you the teacup and saucer. "Yea! Emily, this is (Y/N). (Y/N), this is my girlfriend Emily." Lena explains with an excited smile.

"It's very nice to meet you." You mutter shyly.

"You too (Y/N). It's nice to finally put a face to your name." She giggles.

Emily seems to have a similar cheerful and carefree personality like Lena does, which quickly put you at ease around the giddy couple. The English tea was also relaxing this early in the morning.

 _*I could get used to this...*_ You ponder, staring into your teacup.

The three of you continued to relax and chat while you finished your cup of tea. All the while Lena and Emily tell interesting stories and funny events. A soft smile formed on your lips just from listening to them grin and giggle telling you about their past.

Shortly after finishing your tea, you hear some loud footsteps and hardy chuckles come up the main entrance of the lab. You look over to see casual versions of Reinhardt, Torbjorn, and Brigitte talking amongst themselves as they come in.

"Ah, there you are!" Torbjorn exclaims, with a strong accent.

"Hello." You shyly wave. "Were you looking for me?"

"Aye!" Reinhardt responds. 

"We came to invite you out to breakfast and training!" Brigitte cheers.

"Breakfast, AND training?" You question. "Are you talking about the practice mission? Are you guys going to?!" You exclaim.

Reinhardt let's out a hardy laugh. "Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"We figured we would treat everyone to breakfast while we're there." Torbjorn adds.

"Where are we going?" Lena jumps in, excited.

"Eichenwalde." Reinhardt answers. "A great place to practice, right?" He says looking to Brigitte.

"Right!" Brigitte cheers.

 _*Eichenwalde...?*_ You thought. _*That's one of the best maps in the whole game. I'm finally getting to see different locations?*_

"I can't wait!" You cheer.

*******

You say your goodbyes to Emily as she wishes you "good luck" before leaving the lab. You, Lena, Reinhardt, Torbjorn, and Brigitte all walk together to the airships where you're to meet back up with Jack and Gabriel. After crossing the entire base, you approach two airships that are being prepared for departure. 

"Wow..." You mutter, admiring the two ships and at the number of people running around getting ready.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" You hear a husky, but charming voice say behind you.

You turn around to see a charming, more casual Jesse McCree. He seems to be dressed fairly normal, minus the chest plate and pads. He still fashioned his iconic hat, buckle, and boots and was sporting a stainless steel travel mug similar to Gabe's from earlier.

"Mornin'." He flashes you a soft smile as he tips his hat. "Those ships ain't the only ones lookin' beautiful this mornin'."

You grin back, blushing and feeling giddy. "Good morning to you too! Are you going on the practice mission too?" You ask, sounding excited.

"Well of course." Jesse answers before taking a sip from his mug. "No one can show ya the ropes better than I can." He winks.

Your cheeks flush red as you turn back around to see Jack and Gabe call everyone's attention. You glance around to see many familiar faces gather around. Everyone was dressed fairly casual except for the weapons or technology they needed for the mission.

"Alright, is everyone ready to head out?" You hear Jack holler.

Everyone nods or answers "yes" before Gabe joins in.

"We're going to split everyone into the two teams needed for this mission." Gabe speaks clear. "One team on each ship. The teams are basically chosen at random, besides you two." Gabe points to you and Jesse towards the back of the group.

"Huh?" You mutter to yourself.

"You guys are on separate teams. Now, come on over and stand in front of each ship." Gabe motions you over.

"What? Wait a minute-" Jesse starts to say.

"We need to see how (Y/N) performs without your help." Jack cuts him off.

"Besides, you'll give her a good challenge." Gabe grins, as Jesse reluctantly walks over to the second ship.

"Alright. Athena, go ahead and pick the rest of the two teams." Jack calls out to one of the two ships behind him.

"Understood Commander." Athena pauses for moment before continuing. "Team 1: (Y/N), Jack, Lena, Hanzo, Hana, and Lucio.  
Team 2: Jesse, Gabe, Torbjorn, Fareeha, Reinhardt, and Brigitte."

"Excellent." Jack says quietly as everyone walks over to their assigned ship.

"Of course it is. You get to be on (Y/N)'s team." Gabe tells Jack as he walks by him to pout next to Jesse.

Jack can't help but laugh slightly. "Ok, everyone finish loading up. We'll depart in 5 minutes."

Everyone enters their own ship trying to load all their gear. Hana walks her iconic MEKA on board one, while Reinhardt carries his large rocket hammer to the other. While observing everyone around you, you feel two arms wrap around your waist with a "click".

"Hmmm?" You look down to see a new style of belt draped over your hips.

"You'll be needin' this." Jesse says softly, walking around you to reposition it in the front.

Taking a second glance, you realize the belt is carrying three flashbangs on the opposing hip from the revolver.

"Flashbangs?!" You beam.

"You still remember how to use 'em?" Jesse asks with a smile.

"Of course!" You grin with excitement.

"It suits you." Jesse says eyeing the black and white revolver.

"Oh yea, thank you for loaning it to me." You speak softly while blushing slightly, seeing the revolver shine in the morning sun.

"It's not just a loan Darlin', I want you to have it." Jesse whispers softly.

Your cheeks continue to flush as the butterflies in your stomach take flight for the first time this morning.

Before you get the chance to thank him, Gabe speaks loudly for everyone to hear.

"Is everybody ready?" Gabe hardly waits for a response. "Alright, let's go!" He hollers.

Jesse gives you a quick peck on your cheek before heading towards the second ship. You smile and wave goodbye to him as you step on to the first ship to see everyone strapping in for the short trip.

"Take a seat, (Y/N)." Jack says to you as he points to a seat next to Hanzo.

You sit down as you begin to fumble with the many buckles and straps on the chair. Hanzo smiles slightly with a light chuckle as he notices your struggles with some of the clasps.

"Here,..." Hanzo leans over to help you strap in. "That should do." He tells you while giving a few of the straps a couple test tugs.

Everyone else buckles themselves in as Jack continues to load a few more items around the ship's cabin before taking the seat next to you. Jack took the last seat in the row between you and the stairs leading up to the pilot's deck at the front of the ship. On your right, was Hanzo, Lena, Lucio, and Hana on the end.

Jack quickly straps himself in like he has a hundred times before. He takes a few quick glances at you and the rest of the team to make sure that everyone was set, before giving Athena the 'go ahead' to take off.

You felt the airship start to rumble and move as you hear the loud jets begin to propel you upwards. Your nerves hit as you feel your stomach sink. Reminding you of how real this world is once again.

*******

After a short 20 minute flight with casual conversations, you finally land near the tavern in Eichenwalde. Everyone unbuckles and prepares to unload when the airship door opens. You decide to step out first, excited to have your feet back on solid ground.

You look around at the familiar, worn out buildings and landscapes. The smell of pine greets you with the fresh, clean air around you. Birds chirping in the distance every now and then.

You turn back around to see if anyone needs help unloading or if there was anything you could do.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" You ask Jack, as he walks by with a bundle of boxes.

"Not that I can think of..." He trails off before setting the boxes down next to the tavern. "There's not really that much to begin with. In fact, I think that's all of it."

"You can walk out the MEKA unit if you'd like?" Hana asks you with an excited smile as she walks by you with a small duffle bag she brought.

"Really?!" You beam.

Hana giggles before laying her bag near the the boxes Jack brought out. "Sure! Let me help you unbolt it."

You follow Hana back onboard the airship to where the MEKA unit was bolted and strapped to the floor near the back. She shows you how to unbolt everything before helping you inside the large mech. She gives you a few quick instructions on how to turn it on and how to get started. You quickly feel like everything is second nature after playing around with a few of the controls.

Jack and Hana help guide you out of the airship as you carefully walk out with the MEKA unit. Everyone watches and cheers as you walk the mech over to the tavern before parking it. You climb out of the large unit with an excited grin.

"That was awesome!" You giggle.

Hana giggled back. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. We'll have to let you train with it some more later." She smiles.

Everyone walks together inside the large German tavern, as the amazing smell of bacon enters your nose.

You walk around the corner to see the other "team" talking and eating amongst themselves.

"About time you guys showed up." Gabe tells your team as he approaches you. "Now, let's get you fed." He smiles slightly.

He guides you over to one of the many tables full of food and sits you down next to Jesse and Fareeha.

"Hey Pumpkin," Jesse greets you with a soft smile as you sit down. "Are you ready to eat?" He says handing you a plate, before taking a sip of his coffee.

You nod excitedly. "I'm starving!" You tell him as you you grab some bacon, pancakes, and eggs for your plate.

"Everything tastes amazing!" You exclaim after eating half of your first serving.

Fareeha smiles. "Glad to hear it."

"Reinhardt and Torbjorn do make a mighty fine meal." Jesse states.

"Reinhardt and Torbjorn made all of this?" You ask between chews.

"Mmmhmm" Jesse confirms as he takes another sip.

"That's why we got here before you guys, so that they could get it all done before everyone else got here." Fareeha tells you as she begins to pick up some of the dirty dishes around the table.

You quickly swallow your last bite before rushing over to the table next to you to hug Reinhardt and Torbjorn from behind. "Thank you so much for breakfast!" You tell them.

"Of course my Dear!" Reinhardt chuckles lightly.

"Anytime!" Torbjorn adds.

You then decide to help Fareeha pick up all the empty plates and clear off the tables.

After everyone was finished eating and everything was picked up, it was time to begin training once more. 

Jack and Gabe had each brought in a few boxes that contained some type of suits. They start handing them out to both teams.

"Everyone, suit up." Gabe says as he hands one to everyone in his team.

Jack does the same for your team and hands you one. You hold it up and look at it a bit puzzled. The suit was very thin and small. It appeared to be made of of spandex or some other stretchy material. It was surprisingly clear and see through, with one zipper that started at the top of the neck and went all the way to the crotch.

Jack noticed your confusion and explained while everyone else started to suit up.

"Armor suits." He mentions, as you continue to look at the bizarre looking outfit in your hands. "This will protect you and track any damage you take during this mission."

You continue to study the garment with numerous questions filling your head.

_*How does it work? There's like nothing even here?*_

"Here, limme give ya hand." Jesse tells you as he removes your holster and flashbangs from your hips.

You then remove the combat boots as Jesse helps you slip into the slim armor suit. He zips you up and adds the Peacekeeper and flashbangs back around your waist.

"Thank you." You tell him shyly.

"Don't forget these." Jack says while handing you what looks like a pair of clear safety glasses. "These will show your health along with everyone else's."

You put on the glasses to see a familiar health bar on the bottom left of the screen.

"Wow..." You mutter softly while looking around at everyone else's health bars above their heads.

 _*That's so cool!*_ You thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got around to finishing this chapter! Woo!
> 
> Sorry that it took me so long! Hopefully I'll get the next one done before Thankgiving, but we'll see.
> 
> Please let me know what you think or if you find any problems or typos! :D
> 
> PS.- How does a Christmas special chapter sound? With the holidays fast approaching, I thought it could be a fun idea?
> 
> PSS.- Do I have any Red Dead Redemption fans reading along? I've been a huge fan of the series since the first one. With the newest one being out, I've had a craving of doing a crossover romance story with Reader, Jesse, John, and Arthur. It would be like a reverse harem. Weird concept I know, that's why I need your opinion. It would continue with the basis of this story and take place in the world of RDR. (Spoiler free of course) Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Thank you! <3


	7. Practice Mission pt. 2

_*I can't believe it, this looks just like it would in the game!*_ You thought.

Everyone has health bars above their heads in different sizes. Just like the game, tanks like Reinhardt and Hana's mech appear to have the most, while everyone else was close to the same.

The suits, when in use on the body, become so clear that they're practically invisible. Making it look like nobody's even wearing one.

"Any damage your suit takes will show on your health bar." Jack breaks your train of thought.

"And when it hits zero?" You ask, already guessing the answer.

"You'll be teleported back to the starting location of each checkpoint in a matter of seconds." He says.

 _*I guess it makes sense that they wouldn't say respawn or spawning point.*_ You think to yourself.

"Everything else should be the same as your training, correct?" Jack quizzes you, as he finishes suiting up as well.

"Appears to be..." You trail off, still looking around through the new eyewear.

"Excellent." Jack states. "Is everyone else ready to start?" He asks the group.

Everyone nods or confirms as Gabe steps forward towards Jack holding a quarter.

"Call it." Gabe tells him as he flips the coin in the air.

"Heads." Jack responds before the quarter can land on Gabe's palm.

Gabe smacks the coin on the back of his hand before revealing it's status to Jack.

"Damn." Gabe sighed. "You want offense or defense?" He asks.

"What do you think (Y/N), should we try attacking first?" Jack asks you.

"Sure!" You tell him, excited to get started.

"Alright then, we'll go set up our defenses." Gabe says as him and his team start to leave the tavern.

Jesse gives you a slight smile and nod before exiting with his team.

"Alright, let's have a good, clean fight." Jack tells you and your team. "And let's kick some ass."

*******

Athena and your fellow teammates communicate through the new eyewear's microphone and speakers. Your team quickly prepares themselves at the tavern's doors, as Athena begins to countdown before the match starts.

You could feel the adrenaline start to build in your body with each passing countdown. 

****5****

****4****

****3****

****2****

_*I can't believe it...*_ You think to yourself. _*This is really happening...!*_

****1****

****Attack****

****Capture objective A****

Your team rushes out of the doors. You find yourself going right to find some stairs leading up to some higher ground. The normal route you usually take while playing DPS on this map.

Right as you're about to reach the top of the stairs, you hear a familiar jiggle of spurs quickly sneak up behind you. As soon as you begin to turn around, you feel your body seize up at the flashbang exploding at your feet.

"Sorry Pumpkin." Jesse softly chuckles.

He then quickly fans the hammer on his peacekeeper, as your suit's health drops rapidly to zero.

 _*No way!*_ You thought.

You're then instantly teleported back to the tavern where you must wait a few seconds before the suit will allow you to move again.

After the small grace period, you quickly head out again. You decide to go right once more, but this time you'll sneak through the small room past the staircase instead.

 _*Jesse must be after the high ground too...I could try and sneak up behind him, but he'd probably be expecting that.*_ You thought. _*I'll just sneak underneath him instead and go after someone in the choke point.*_

You sneak quietly up to the small room.

Just as you enter, you feel your whole body tense up once more.

_*What the...?*_

"Come on Darlin'." Jesse smiles, before planting a headshot on the armored suit. Sending you back to the tavern once again.

You continue to take all the routes you know, but each time Jesse seems to always be one step ahead of your strategy and is always there to put a stop to it.

Your team some how makes it through the choke point as they begin to slowly capture the objective.

You rush out of spawn once more, and make a beeline dash to the objective.

Right as you're about to approach the point, you see that Jesse was taken out by Hanzo in your kill feed.

 _*Yes!*_ You grinned. _*Now's my chance!*_

You join up with the rest of your team, mid team-fight, on the point. You finally begin to show what you're made of as you start to get kills left and right and finish the fight.

Your team captures the objective and can now push the payload to its' destination.

****Objective A captured****

****Escort objective B****

You decide to stay close to your team and push the payload.

The payload reaches the first gate peacefully. The gate slowly opens to reveal the enemy team waiting on the other side. The next team fight commences as your team slowly pushes through. You help destroy Torbjorn's turret in one of the openings in the castle wall in front of the payload, before quickly scanning the top for any cowboy activity.

 _*I'm sure he's up there...*_ You wonder. _*But why haven't I seen him yet?*_

You walk with your team up to the first corner right before the archway and then you break off up the staircase on the left.

 _*If he's up here, I'll get him!*_ You think, seeing your full Deadeye meter at the bottom of your screen. _*If not, then I'll take advantage of the high ground...*_

You slowly sneak up the stairs, in hopes of getting the drop on him if you do happen to find him.

You reach the top of the staircase and go out on top of the arch. You look down to see your team escorting the payload underneath you.

_*No sign of him yet...*_

You see Hanzo climb up the wall next to you and join you on the arch. His bow drawn back as he helps scan the high ground with you before firing at the enemies below. 

You both happen to snag a few kills before the payload reaches the next corner. Hanzo gives you a small wave before departing from you and joining back up with the team on the payload.

You decide to head back to the small room on your left at the top of the staircase. You remember a small health pack sitting in the corner that would top off your damaged health nicely.

Right as you reach the health pack, you hear a familiar "click" of a hammer being pulled back.

_*Oh crap...*_

"Well now,..." You hear a voice drawl behind you.

You place your revolver in it's holster and put your hands up in a surrender.

"I was wondering where you had snuck off to..." You say as you slowly turn around to see Jesse holding you at gunpoint.

Jesse chuckles a bit. "Yea, you were a bit predictable there in the beginnin'. You seemed to lose me for a little while after that though."

"I should have known that you would know my routines more than anyone." You speak softly.

"Heh, no worries." Jesse smiles, placing his revolver away as well. "I'll make it beneficial for ya this time."

Jesse slowly approaches you with a lustful hunger in his eyes. He slams his robotic hand against the wall next to you, pinning you against it. He takes his real hand and reaches for your chin, forcing you to look him in the eyes before stealing your lips in a passionate kiss.

"Mmmm..." A slight moan escapes your lips as he captures them with his.

Jesse pushes into you as his prosthetic limb wraps around your waist with his other hand on the back of your head to deepen the kiss.

Enjoying the sensation, you place one hand against his chest and use your other to rest at his neck with your thumb caressing his cheek. His stubble rough and soft against your skin.

You slowly part your lips wider to let passage for his tongue to slide in and tangle with yours. You taste this morning's coffee on his tongue along with the smell of his sweet cigars lingering around you. 

You do your best to contain your moans as the butterflies in your stomach want to explode. Your legs subconsciously squeezing tighter together the more Jesse's tongue explores the inside of your mouth.

 _*Oh yes...*_ Your mind races.

Sounds of your French kissing quickly fills the room. Your body temperature continues to rise as you move your hand up to softly tug on his hair.

Jesse groans slightly and his hand departs from your waist to firmly grab your ass. A dampness starts to occur between your thighs, as you couldn't help but release another soft moan.

"Hey (Y/N), is everything alright back there?" A voice startles the two of you.

_*Oh crap! Hanzo!?*_

You both quickly pull away from each other in surprise. Jesse draws his revolver and quietly scans the area around the two of you while you try to catch your breath before responding.

You take one deep breath before holding down the talk button on your visor.

"Uh-h yea,..." You stutter nervously. "Just ran back to grab a small health pack."

Jesse returns to you and listens patiently to your conversation.

"Well hurry back quickly, we're approaching our destination with the payload." Hanzo tells you sternly.

"On my way!" You reply, quickly removing your hand away from your visor before breathing normal again.

Jesse gives you a sexy look with a smug grin. "Suppose we should head on back to the fight, hmm?"

"Yea, especially if the fight is almost over..." You trail off grabbing your revolver, before about to head back.

"Now hold on." Jesse grabs your wrist and pulls you back for one last kiss. "Just know, that this "fight" ain't over. We'll continue this later." Jesse gives you a wink before letting you go. "Now, go on and kill me so you can get back to yer team."

"Kill you?" Trying not to blush from his earlier statement.

"Yea, ya killed me on yer way back. Got it?" Jesse smiles.

"But I don't want to kill you like this." You speak softly. "Not after...all of that..."

"We're just covering our tracks." Jesse removes his hat and places it over his heart. "Now go on and shoot."

You hesitate slightly as you line up your sights on his forehead and pull the trigger. Jesse then quickly disappears, leaving you to head back on your own.

You leave the little room and start to head across the long archway. Your mind and body still racing from what just occurred. You glance back to see the little health pack still floating in the now quiet space. Right as you're about to turn back around however, you notice an arrow sticking out of the wall of the small room.

 _*An arrow?*_ You ask yourself, pulling it out of the stone wall. _*Hanzo doesn't seem like the type to miss very often. So why is this...*_

As soon as you're about to question it, you notice the round smooth tip on the arrow.

 _*A Sonic arrow?!*_ You start to panic slightly. _*He saw us!?*_

You quickly discard the arrow to the ground and take off towards the castle.

_*That means...He knows what we were doing...!*_

You dash through the castle's halls and come around the last corner to see another team fight.

_*My team must not have been doing very well, otherwise they would have made it by now.*_

You join in the fight to do what you can until some of your killed teammates can return. Hanzo and Jack being some of the few. You take cover as you all regroup.

"There you are!" Jack announces. "I was starting to worry that you wondered off."

"Oh no, just went back for a health pack and maybe explored a bit." You smile nervously.

You look to Hanzo to see if he has anything to add, but instead puts all of his focus on the fight at hand.

"Well glad you made it back to us." Jack states. "Are you ready to finish this?"

"Yes sir!" You beam.

Your team makes one final push with the time remaining. Another team fight commences around and over the payload. Both teams fighting hard as the fight goes into overtime. Sounds of different Ultimates ring through the castle's halls. Each Ultimate appearing to be unsuccessful at finishing the fight.

You slowly and quietly sneak around to the back hallway on the left side. You knew your ult was pretty powerful if executed properly and quietly, but of course, so was Jesse's.

You scanned both ends of the hall as you pursued further towards the staircase at the end.

 _*Where is he?*_ You worried. _*This is my last chance to really help my team. Since I've been kinda crappy at it so far...*_

You reach the top of the staircase, still being cautious of anyone who may be near. The top floor was clear with both teams still fighting hard below.

_*Perfect.*_

Just as you're prepared to use your Ultimate, you look over at the platform diagonal from you.

 _*Even better.*_ You grin.

Jesse had used the other staircase to position himself in front of both teams. Thankfully for you, he was too focused on observing the fight below.

You begin to take aim at Jesse. You notice his expression change when he realizes you're not below with your team, and he instantly knows where your at. Jesse barely has enough time to lock eyes with you before you place two head shots on him. You mouth "Sorry" right as he disappears back to spawn.

 _*Yes!*_ You thought. _*Finally got him! Now, for the rest of his team...*_

You walk all the way to the edge of the platform to see the team fight slow down a bit. Your team barely hanging on with a few teammates left to dance around the payload. You slowly twirl the revolver back into it's holster before taking your stance.

"It's high noon." You whisper softly with a grin.

Your visor automatically locks on to the targets below. The enemy team doesn't even get the chance to find you before you draw, killing them all.

****Quintuple Kill****

Athena chimes in.

****Team Kill****

"Nice!" You can hear Jack exclaim.

You smile, holstering the revolver as you watch the remainder of your team push the payload to the end.

****Victory****

"Well done!" Hanzo congratulates you on your performance as you jump down to join him on top of the payload.

"You did great!" Lucio adds.

"Thank you!" You blush slightly.

The rest of your team comes around the corner.

"Awesome job!" Lena cheers.

"GG!" Hana smiles.

You thank everyone as you all group up behind the payload, you then hear a slow clap coming from behind you. You turn around to see Gabriel and the rest of the enemy team standing behind him. He slowly claps as both teams eventually join in.

"Nicely done, (Y/N)." Gabe tells you as the clapping stops and him and his team approach.

You glance to Jesse who's standing beside him. He gives you a proud smile as he stands with his thumbs hooked behind his belt buckle.

"What an excellent team fight!" Reinhardt exclaims, returning your attention to everyone.

"Indeed!" Torbjorn joins in.

"And an even better practice mission." Jack tells you while wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

You blush slightly once more at all the attention.

"Now, how about we head back to finish preparing you for the real thing?" Gabe says with a smile.

You return his smile and give him a stern nod.

*******

Both teams load up and return back to base. As the ships unload, everyone congratulates each other before heading off to other duties. You watch as everyone goes in separate directions and says there goodbyes. 

"Good job today." You hear a voice say from behind you.

You turn slightly to see Hanzo walking past you. You were constantly worried about what he might have saw with you and Jesse during the match, but he never said anything on the trip back.

"Th-thank you!" You stutter slightly, trying to calm your thoughts and nerves as he walks away.

"Oh, but (Y/N)?" Hanzo stops and glances back to you.

"Yes?!" You jump. 

"We really should discuss your...fighting style, sometime soon." Hanzo states with a small smile, before waving and walking away.

 _*Crap! He totally knows!*_ You worry. _*I'm in huge trouble! Why did I do that while I was training?!*_

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." You mutter to yourself while pounding your forehead.

"What's stupid?" Jesse quizzes you from behind, startling you.

"Ah!" You exclaim. "Hopefully nothing!" You give him a shy smile.

Jesse chuckles. "Didn't mean to spook ya."

"Oh no, you're fine." You tell him. "Just worried if I did ok during the practice mission."

"I'm sure yer fine." Jesse smiles while lighting his cigar.

"Only one way to find out." Gabe says as him and Jack walk up to you.

"Are you ready to check out your results?" Jack smiles.

"Sure!" You beam.

"Great. Jesse and I will meet you guys back at the apartments." Gabe tells you and Jack.

"Sounds good, we'll see you soon." Jack tells them.

Jesse gives you a small smile before departing with Gabe back to the apartments. Jack escorts you back to Winston's lab. You remembered that Winston and Hammond decided to track the stats on the practice mission.

 _*I wonder what their stats will show?*_ You begin to worry as you enter the lab. _*My number of deaths? Or worse...me "grabbing a health pack"?*_

"Ah, welcome back you two!" Winston greets you.

Hammond squeaks cheerfully.

"Greetings!" The wrecking ball mech translates.

They both appeared to still be working on different projects with the monitors running in the background. You glance up at the set of monitors to see them displaying different perspectives of the match.

"I'm guessing you've stopped by to see your report card?" Winston asks.

You gulp and give a slow nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, so much for getting this out before Thankgiving...  
> Hopefully I can keep up on it now that the holidays are over. :3
> 
> Please let me know if you find any typos or errors! And let me know what you thought of this steamy teaser. ;D
> 
> Feedback is very much appreciated! Thank you again everyone!
> 
>  
> 
> P.S.- In regards to the ideas at the end of the last chapter:
> 
> -I will definitely do an RDR crossover, but I may wait until this one is further in or finished.
> 
> -And since I completely missed Christmas, I suppose I'll add a Christmas special next year after the story is more developed.
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you so much for reading along everyone!


	8. Post Mission

  
  
You find yourself beginning to sweat slightly in Winston's lab, while glancing at the different points of view on the monitors. You begin trying to process what to say if questioned about it.

 _*Why did you do it?*_ You played a fake conversation through your head. _*I don't even know...that's not like me at all, but it's something that I've always wanted to do and it just happened? Like a "heat of the moment" kind of deal?*_

Slowly lowering and shaking your head.

_*Nope...That definitely won't work.*_

You conclude your thoughts in time for Winston to finish bringing up the mission's stats on one of the monitors. It looked just like the ending statics screen after a match in the game. Showing the same looking medals and everything. It only seemed to be missing an XP bar at the bottom.

"Let's see here..." Jack trails off as he steps closer to the screen, looking over Winston's shoulder. You step closer and stand next to him to also take a look.

"Not bad." Jack states after a small pause. "A few more deaths than I'd care to see, but you still did well with eliminations and objective kills."

"Thank you Sir." You spoke softly.

"You made sure to do your part during each team fight too, and that's where you really shine with the team." Jack looks to you with a slight smile.

You smile back, feeling a bit more relaxed.

"How did she look out there Winston?" Jack turns back to the screens.

"She performed fairly well I'd say." Winston said while opening footage from the match.

 _*Crap...*_ You thought. _*I'm done for now.*_

"I can tell you that having Jesse on the opposite team definitely gave her a challenge." Winston spoke as he played a few clips of you encountering Jesse. Each of which, you died at the end.

You fold your hands and place them on the back of your neck, feeling your temperature rise. Your heart beat and breath quicken.

_*I didn't think they would observe this much. There's no way that he DOESN'T know what happened.*_ You worry. _*Jack's going to be so disappointed in me, if not angry.*_

"So that's where all the deaths came from." Jack smiles. "So, what happened?" He turns to look at you. "He should have been a fair match up for you after training so often together."

"That was the problem Sir, he kept anticipating what I was going to do or where I would be." You spoke nervously.

"Ah, I see..." Jack trails off, glancing back at the footage. "Well, I won't hold you to your death count then. Seeing as if Jesse hadn't had been there you probably would have performed much better." 

"I agree Commander." Winston chimes in. "That was something I thought as well. Jesse appeared to be too much for a beginning mission."

Jack nods. "Next mission we do, we'll be sure to keep him here."

You felt a little sad by the statement. You enjoyed the friendly competition, but it was a bit "distracting" at times. It also didn't seem right to leave for a mission without him, but you decide not to question it and instead stay quiet.

"So, besides all that, how else did she do?" Jack questioned.

You turned around and stepped away, preparing for the lecture that might come next.

"That was it Commander." Winston responded, closing the footage and stats off the screens. "She performed very well from what I observed."

You perked up and turned back to them in surprise. Eyes wide, can't believe that he didn't mention it.

"That's great to hear!" Jack exclaims. He approaches you and gives you a few pats on the back. "Great job today (Y/N)."

Your mouth drops open slightly before responding with a soft "Thank you".

"Well, no need to go over anything else today. We'll discuss future missions tomorrow." Jack smiles softly. "Let's go get you settled in at your new place for now." Jack starts heading for the doorway.

You look to Winston for anything more to add, but he just smiles and nods.

You smile back and mouth "Thank you" before heading back to the apartments with Jack.

*******

A wave of relief rushes over you as you start to head back to meet up with Gabe and Jesse. Your regrets on the practice mission were beginning to fade away as you got closer to the apartments. You were left feeling tired and worn out from the butterflies in your stomach, anxiety, and of course the fighting.

You were really starting to look forward to sleeping in a more secluded and quiet place. You felt excited at the thought of having your own room and not having to worry about going back to the women's quarters.

As you and Jack approached the door to your new room, you spotted a name plaque on the door that matched the others but while proudly displaying your own name instead.

"Welcome home." Jack smiles at you softly before opening the door.

You smile back in return for only a moment before your jaw drops as the door is being opened.

 _*Oh my gosh...*_ You thought. _*It's gorgeous...!*_

You had expected a pretty plain and simple apartment building, but instead it was well decorated and homey! It looked like they did a lot more than just clean it out, they had actually made it into a real home that you would feel comfortable staying in.

"Well, how'd she do?" Asked Gabriel, who was sitting on a barstool at the island of your new kitchen. Jesse was there too, leaning against an adjacent counter top. Each with bottles of water next to them.

"Not bad." Jack replied. "You guys really turned this place around." Jack said looking around before walking over to join them.

 _*No kidding!*_ You thought.

You glanced around the studio apartment to see a wide variety of modern and colorful furniture. A big plush sectional in the living area which faced a bigger TV. A huge, comfy looking bed in the back corner of the room looking out at the view of the ocean against the wall window. Modern barstools and appliances in the kitchen. Even a nice little desk and PC in the corner when you first walk in.

"Well, what do you think?" Jesse grabs your attention back to the three gentlemen in the room with you.

"I love it!" You say with a sincere smile. "It's so much more than I ever would imagined."

Jesse, Jack, and Gabe each give you a soft smile in return.

"Thank you so much everyone, for everything you've done." You speak softly walking towards the group in the kitchen. "How can I ever repay you?"

"I'm sure I could come up with a few ideas..." Gabe trails off teasingly.

Jack swiftly smacks him in the back of the head. "Ignore him. We're just happy to finally have you with us here in person." Jack gives a warm smile. "We know you'll repay us with your hard work and dedication to this team."

"Of course!" You nod, trying not to cry at all the wonderful gestures and treatments they've offered.

"I guess we better let you relax then." Gabriel states, standing to his feet.

"Yea, I'm sure you're pretty worn out after these last couple days." Jack tells you as he walks by, placing his hand on your shoulder.

You force a type of fake laugh. "Yea, I am pretty tired." Fighting back the urge to cry.

"Get some rest Soldier." Gabe smiles as he follows Jack to the door.

They both give you soft smiles as they leave and close the door behind them.

Soon as the door closes in front of you, you start to feel tears prick at your eyes. You try and fight them back before turning back to Jesse in the kitchen. You then hear the jingle and clicking of Jesse's spurs come up behind you. His muscular arms wrap around you from behind and hold you in a hug against his chest. You feel his head resting against yours as you struggle to keep from falling to pieces in his hold.

"Hey, everything will turn out right." He whispers in your ear softly. "I promise."

You squeeze your eyes shut as you can no longer fight off the emotions that you've been bottling up and tears start to roll down your cheeks. You've been incredibly happy to be here, but had the constant worry on how you would get home. Everyone has been so nice since you arrived, but there's still no answers on how you even got here.

Jesse tightens his grip around your arms and chest when he starts to hear you sniffle. You rub your eyes and try to steady your voice before speaking.

"Thank you, Jesse." You whisper, voice shaky.

He kisses the top of your head gently and continues to hold you until your through.

After a few moments you finally speak again while wiping the tears from your eyes and face.

"How did you know I was sad?"

"I could tell when you were lookin' around the room that you were excited, but there seemed to be a bit of sadness in your expressions."

You couldn't help but smile that Jesse was able to notice something like that. You finished wiping your eyes and face before turning around to hug him back. He held you against him in a protective hug, resting his cheek against your head.

You smiled at the smell of leather, cologne, and cigar smoke when you rested your face against his chest. You felt better after letting everything out while in Jesse's arms. The fact that you were even able to feel and smell one of your favorite fictional characters still seemed so surreal to you, but was by far the best part of this whole experience.

"If it makes any difference, I'm really happy yer here." Jesse whispered.

You pulled away slightly to give him a smile. "Me too."

*******

After awhile you decided to make the two of you something for lunch in the new kitchen. You sat at the island and ate a quiet lunch together while enjoying each other's company. It was nice to be more relaxed and have it be just the two of you. You talked about different topics like what your apartment was like at home and what the area was like, and how Jesse liked working for Overwatch and his life here. In the middle of chatting, you finally decided to ask something that's been on your mind since you got here.

"Jesse, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He says, finishing his meal.

"How did you know that I...liked you?"

"Hmm?" Jesse questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Like, how do we have this...relationship? I've never been able to even communicate with you while playing...err...training?" You correct yourself at the end.

Jesse gets up and takes both your dishes to the sink. "I quickly realized after you first started training with us that you couldn't hear me when I tried to talk to you." Jesse turns back towards you. "But I could certainly hear you." He drawled.

You started to feel the blood rush to your cheeks. "How much did you hear?" You asked nervously.

"Anything you spoke while we were together. Whether it be communicating with your friends in the background, strategizing during a mission, or just talking in general when we were together." Jesse leaned against the counter and smiled softly. "I even heard you when you were on standby."

"Standby?" You asked.

"Yea, it's usually before we start a mission. Before you even show up next to us. The training program has ya on standby until the next mission starts, and usually yer on standby with someone random until ya choose who to train with."

You gave him a puzzled look until it clicked.

_*Crap, is he talking about the game's menu screen when I'm waiting for a game? It's usually random characters like he's talking about. That must be it.*_

"Anyway, we can all hear you talkin' with us depending on who yer with during that mission." He crosses his arms.

You start to panic on the inside, you hadn't even thought about anything like that. You tried thinking about all the things you say or do while playing. You've been playing the game for almost three years now, who knows what all you've said while playing. You rub your fingertips across your forehead while you try to think of anything in particular that may be bad.

Jesse sees your embarrassed and worried expressions and chuckles lightly. "Don't worry Pumpkin, you never said anything bad to any of us." Jesse gives you a reassuring smile. "And only the person you were with could hear you." He winked.

You felt the blush in your cheeks. _*Was that supposed to help? What did I say and do....oh no....*_ You then started to realize all the late game nights that you had with a friend after the rest of your squad signed off for the night. You and your friend had a habit of catching up with each other after a long week while just sitting at the main menu. You remembered that ironically McCree's character would usually be the one standing there while you guys talked over mics. _*He must have heard all the times when her and I would talk about new fan fictions we found or new fan art for each of our favorite characters. At least, those are probably some of the topics he'd be referring to.*_ You didn't talk about stuff like that very often compared to life topics, but when you did usually it was because a character on the screen reminded you of it. You recalled all the times when you told her how much you loved playing him after a great match or how he was your favorite character every time you got the play of the game.

Your face was bright red after realizing just how much he probably heard that you didn't even think about. "I'm guessing that you heard how much I told you I loved you then?" You said embarrassed, looking down. Summing up the gist of everything he most likely heard.

You hear him take a few steps forward and lean on his elbows on the counter space in front of you. He then takes his hand and cups your chin upwards so you'll look at him.

"I only wish you could've heard all the times that I told you that I loved ya back." He whispered.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is bit shorter than normal, but I really liked ending on this hook. :3 And super sorry for taking the longest time on this chapter! I had a tough time trying to figure out how to blend and type some of the plot points in this chapter. Hopefully it came out ok and wasn't too boring! Good news is, I will be able to flow into the next chapter really easy after ending it this way, so it shouldn't take me very long to get the next part out! :D Please let me know what you think!
> 
> More Romance and Plot Stuff on the way! :D
> 
> Edit: Question time to the readers! To smut or not to smut? That is the question! Seriously though, as you guys saw in the beginning of this story, this is my first fanfic ever and so I'm not even sure on how or if I can write smut. I left all the tags open ended on this story because I wasn't sure if i would end up adding it or not (hence the mature rating still). I personally really like some of the more dirty fanfics on here since that's usually where my mind goes anyway, but I wanted to ask you guys since I know there's nothing in the story's tags for it. I didn't want to throw it in in case some of you are reading along because it doesn't have that. If that makes sense? Anyway, give me your thoughts! I'm asking this now because it may head down that path in the next chapter or two if I get the "go ahead". XD


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